REIGNING champions Presentation College (San Fernando) have set up a rematch of last year's Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL) PowerGen Intercol T20 final, after cruising to the 2024 finale on April 23 with a six-wicket win over Vishnu Boys' Hindu College in the second semifinal. Presentation will play North powerhouse team Fatima College in the final on May 3.
Batting first at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva, Vishnu Boys were restricted to a paltry score of 102 for six in their 20 overs by a miserly Presentation bowling attack. Vishnu Boys captain Andrew Rambaran played a fighting hand of 55 off 50 balls to lead from the front, but only two other players scored in double digits as the underdogs struggled against the "Pres" bowlers.
Vishnu Boys slipped to 14/2 early on after the opening pair of Ishmael Ali (one) and Aidan Lakhansingh (ten) were sent back into the pavilion cheaply. Rambaran then dominated a 65-run third-wicket partnership with Aaron Basant (11) as he tried to reignite the Vishnu Boys innings.
Vishnu Boys then had an almighty slip as they slid from 79/2 to 87/6, as Basant, Rambaran, Zachary Madray (duck) and Keshan Singh (one) fell in quick succession. Isa Ali (2/16), the pick of the Presentation bowlers, put the opposition firmly on the back foot when he removed Rambaran and Madray in consecutive balls.
Three other Presentation bowlers took a wicket apiece.
In the chase, Presentation also lost early wickets as Riyaad Mohammed (six), Christian Rampersad (nine) and Brendan Boodoo (12) were all dismissed cheaply as Ishmael (2/20) tried to turn the game on its head with his early burst.
Presentation stumbled to 29/3, but they were successfully steered to safety by middle-order batsman Aadi Ramsaran who struck an unbeaten 44 off 39 balls to see his team to 104/4 after 18.4 overs – clinching victory with eight balls to spare.
Ramsaran shared in two telling partnerships for Presentation which saw them getting to the tricky – but modest – target. Ramsaran helped to stop the Presentation slide when he put on 38 runs for the fourth wicket with Aadian Racha (13 off 24 balls), while he sealed the game with an unbeaten 37-run stand for the fifth wicket with Saif Ali (ten not out).
In the final on May 3, Presentation, who were agonisingly pipped to this year's league title by rivals Presentation College (Chaguanas), will have a grand showdown with Fatima in an intriguing replay of last season's T20 final.
In last year's final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Presentation's bowlers rose to the occasion as they restricted Fatima to a modest score of 115/4, before getting to the victory target with three balls to spare and five wickets intact.
This year, though, Fatima will hope the in-form Joshua Davis and their talented squad can inspire them to T20 supremacy. In the quarterfinal against Naparima College, Davis struck 71 and had figures of 3/32 as the boys from Mucurapo Road defeated "Naps" by 31 runs. Davis then had figures of 3/9 in the semifinal agains
