Following its victory over the other Leagues in the SER last weekend and the continuance of bright sunshine, clear blue skies and horrible humidity, GSCL began the challenge of the 20/20 competition at Burdette Park at 2:00 p.m. with a match between Tropical and McNair Lions.  The 20/20 as we know is brutal as it demands the best of the best of strategy, competence, true grit and a little bit of luck.  All of these were present.  With a squad of at least six players who were part of the GSCL’s triumphant team in the SER  tournament, Tropical won the toss and elected to bat. A piece of cake given its trouncing of the Lions earlier in the 40-over competition.

The Lions took the field against the giants of the GSCL League, Tropical.  Tropical won the toss and elected to bat. With the second over on board, Nkomo Butts trapped Sutton, caught for 8, followed by David Hoillett for 18 runs. Tropical amassed some 40 something runs with stroke play from Jermaine Lindo and Richard Hoilett.

Bowling changes occurred - Belgrave bowled a tight over conceding just 4 runs. Junior Murray’s first five balls were treated brutally by R. Hoilett who knocked a quick 13 runs - two towering sixes as Tropical raced to 98.  Then the breakthrough occurred! Murray had R. Holiett bowled and caught off the last ball of the over.  Belgrave got two wickets in the next over — Lindo 43 and Alford Givens 0.  At this point, it appeared that Tropical found itself in disarray as wickets fell rapidly. Eight wickets fell for about 50  runs— R. Wong with 12 was the only other batsman with double figures.  Yes, what seemed to be a walk in the park for Tropical, turned out to be an error complacency as Tropical was bowled out for 143 runs off 15 overs, giving the Lions a run rate of just about 7.25 runs per over with 5 overs to spare.  Yet, beating this score, based on prior outcomes of games between the Lions and the Tropical, could be considered an uphill task; the runs were already on the board.

The Lions occupied the wicket with Jeffrey Humphrey and Junior Murray.  Runs came at a quick pace. Humphrey retired on the second over on 7 . Davis joined Murray and the two took the score to 38 before Davis was bowled by a beauty from R. Wong. Sule Butts joined Murray. He played cautiously while Murray played masterfully before falling to Powelle for 34 with the score at 59. The run rate had slowed considerably. Clayton Lambert joined Butts but went for 1 with the score at 61 and Butts on 5. At 3 wickets down for 61 off of 10 overs with two known recognized batsmen out, the task looked gloomy and it was just a matter of time for Tropical to net the Lions or so it seemed. But Butts had different ideas.   He opened his battery of strokes hitting the ball in and out of Burdette after being dropped at 11.  In the meanwhile,  Jermaine King at the other end, was not undone. The two took the score to 123 notwithstanding the introduction of “Big John” John Slocombe, before Butts was runout at 43.  The task was 25 runs in three overs.  King, 35 not out, continued his lofty hitting with C. Belgrave at the other end on 6 not out, to bring home the win. McNair Lions won 147 for 3 off 18.5 overs.

In the presence of the feeling of the victory, the Lions sat to reflect on the match and drew on the prospects of the other games to come.