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Royals ease past Kings in T10 final dress rehearsal

Published:Saturday | July 8, 2023 | 12:15 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer
Surrey Royals opener Leroy Lugg accepts his Player of the Match award from Jamaica Cricket Association second vice president Frtiz Harris after yesterday’s Dream XI-sponsored T10 round 13 clash at Kensington Park. The Surrey Royals defeated the Surrey Ki
Lennox Aldred
Surrey Royals opener Leroy Lugg accepts his Player of the Match award from Jamaica Cricket Association second vice president Frtiz Harris after yesterday’s Dream XI-sponsored T10 round 13 clash at Kensington Park. The Surrey Royals defeated the Surrey Kings by 10 wickets.

Defending champions Surrey Royals inflicted the first defeat of the campaign on the Surrey Kings following an emphatic 10-wicket win in their Dream XI-sponsored Jamaica T10 round 13 clash at Kensington Park yesterday.

The Royals, who lost to Kings earlier in the campaign, easily chased down the 69 runs needed for victory without the loss of a wicket in 8.1 overs, with opener Leroy Lugg leading the way with an unbeaten 40 and Carlos Brown getting 25 not out.

The win sees the Royals consolidate their second-place position in the table with 19 points from nine games with one to play, while the table-topping Kings remain on 24 points from their nine games with a game in hand.

Both teams have secured their places in Monday’s final irrespective of the outcome of the remaining fixtures, and Lugg believes the victory over the Kings will have a positive effect going into the championship decider.

GOOD TEAMS

“Both teams are really good teams and it is going to come down to who plays the better cricket on the day. I am backing my team one hundred per cent to go out and play positive cricket and that should be enough for us to come out on top,” Lugg said.

Lugg’s 27-ball 40 included three fours and three sixes and the towering right-handed opener is currently sitting in second position on the batting table with 168 runs from eight innings, which is 26 runs shy of the leading run scorer in the tournament so far, Suwayne Wilson of the Middlesex United Stars.

Earlier, opener Peat Salmon picked up two wickets for 10 runs in helping to restrict the Kings to 68 for five, with Tevin Gilzene top-scoring with 18.

In the opening game of the doubleheader, the Surrey Risers secured their third win of the campaign to sit in fifth place on 10 points following a super over win over the United Stars who are in third place on 12 points.

The Risers first posted 88 for six with wicketkeeper Daniel Beckford top-scoring with 42 against three wickets for Sheldon Pryce. The United Stars replied with 88 for five with captain Damani Sewell leading their fight with 29 runs.

The United Stars were only able to get five runs in the super over which the Risers easily overhauled to secure the win.