From Hope to Heartbreak: TKR Fans Watch St Lucia Kings Take Control

WICKET! WICKET! Blink once WICKETTT!!! Brilliant, majestic, amazing 8th over bowled by Captain Roston Chase of the St Lucia Kings is what my brain tells me I should be saying, it was truly a sight to behold from the stands of the Queen’s Park Oval for the Trinbago Knight Riders Vs St Lucia Kings game last night. Unfortunately, I am TKR…in the words of the great calypsonian David Rudder... I am a ‘Trini to d bone’ and my heart almost failed me in that over. My sentiment was echoed throughout the stands, when the once loud and optimistic cheers from the sea of red stemming from a promising 8 over partnership between Sunil Narine and Colin Munroe, two of Trinbago Knight Riders star batsmen and local favourites went almost silent. When Chase took those 3 wickets in 4 balls the palpable devastation was felt by all Trinbago Knight Riders fans as a collective on the home ground in Trinidad and Tobago. This was my first ever Caribbean Premiere League match in the Queens Park Oval and it was a thing of beauty.

From as early as 4.30pm the normally quiet roads leading to the Queen’s Park Oval were either congested with the vehicular traffic of patrons searching for parking for the 7pm match or blocked by the hosts for pre-match entertainment. At this point I must pause, and say kudos to the members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Force who in good conscience opted to brave the storm that was the first Trinbago Knight Riders home game and attempt to stymie the chaos… to some degree of success, but this is Trinidad and Tobago, we are a people that cannot be tamed, so this is why I say thank you to the gallant ones. The familiar sights of the nuts men weaving through the traffic jam and thick crowds spilling off the pavements and onto the streets which has become a fixture in Trini big limes and the scalpers lining the roadways added to the vibrant ambiance and the growing excitement and traffic. The air was vibrating at the entrance to the CL Duprey stand on Tragrete Road with the sounds of local tassa, this was the place to be pre-game, ever towering moko jumbies, fancy midnight robbers, intimidating yet intriguing fire breathers together with local media personality Sunny Bling were also on the roadway here alluring fans with their mini cultural showcase on the blocked off path. But fans were not to be kept distracted for too long. Our focus was on the game, with lines winding around the Oval excited fans of all ages, colours, creed and races patiently awaited admission into the stands.

TRK won the toss and opted to bowl. The excitement within the stands was already tangible even before the game had started. Tim Seifert of the Saint Lucia Kings was undeniably the star of the match, scoring an unbeaten 105 runs off 61 balls, he stood as a fortress for the entire 20 overs and battled bowler after bowler valiantly, sending balls flying spectaculartly in all directions around the stadium, the title of Player of the Match was more than deserved by him. Although, secretly, my heart believes that Captain Chase gave him a run for his money with that one destructive 8^th over he bowled. At the end of 20 overs St Lucia stood with a strong 211 for 4. Kamil Pooran was caught out by Adbul-Raheem with 25 runs in 17 balls, John Campbell was taken out by an LBW with 27 runs in 17 balls, Charith Asalanka was caught out by Colin Munroe with 33 runs in 21 balls, the pros make catching out look soo easy, next came Obus Pienaar who was run out by Colin Munroe with 8 runs in 4 balls and Matthew Forde brought the innings to a close with 0 in 2 balls. The blue of the St Lucia Kings fans spotted the stadium, fans were thrilled by the performance of their team at the end of their team’s innings but still cautious about declaring victory just yet, because as we all know cricket is an unpredictable sport.

Trinbago Knight Riders went in to bat after a short break. The heat is always on with the start of the second innings and this game was no different. The overarching feeling within the stadium flooded in red was one of cautious optimism, some supporters even looked nervous. The innings began at a fairly steady but encouraging pace, Colin Munroe was caught out by Roston Chase for 48 runs in 35 balls. Then Sunil Narine was taken out, caught by Joshua Bishop for 25 in 14 balls, caught up in the deadly 8^th over delivered by Roston Chase, Matthew Breetzke fell next, delivered and caught by Chase with 0 in 1 ball, a spectacle both magnificent and terrifying to behold as a person who grew up playing cricket, our beloved Nicholas Pooran was the last to be caught out by Joshua Bishop with 0 in 2 balls. Matthew Tromp came in to bat next with 15 runs in 26 balls, caught out by Obus Peinaar. Keiron Pollard brought back some hope to the nervous supporters when he hit the field, delivering 65 runs in 26 balls, he was bowled and caught out by Matthew Forde. The brief traction and glimmer of hope brought by Pollard was lost thereafter. Jyd Goolie batted for the remaining overs with 16 in 13 balls and Dominic Drakes went in last with 0 in 3 balls. Trinbago Knight Riders scored 175 runs in 20 overs with 6 wickets.

St Lucia Kings won by a comfortable 36 runs, I was genuinely impressed by the star speckled moments provided by the St Lucia Kings despite being a Trinbago Knight Riders enthusiast, they deserve to be praised for their victory. Despite Trinbago Knight Riders fans leaving disappointed, hope lived in some moments, especially during Keiron Pollard’s vicious batting run despite its brief span. But to their everlasting commendation local fans are a good sport, they took the loss in stride, there were no horror stories of post-match arguments and fighting between rival fans and teams and that in itself is a wonderful thing, something we should own. Big Big Congratulations to Team St Lucia!!! I will however end with some post-game suggestions from a Trinbago Knight Riders fan since I myself am a Trinbago Knight Riders fan and will always be a Trini to d bone: ‘There were key moments that TKR lost one of them was the triple strike by Roston Chase that derailed TKR’s momentum after the powerplay, TKR must capture these key moments in the game if they want to qualify and go on to lift the title,’ Christo.

Written By: Kerrie Ann Subhanie

Photos Taken by Denzel Lamont and Kerrie Ann Subhanie