Maxford Pipe hit 9 fours and 9 sixes on his way to an unbeaten 98 from just 32 balls in Sundays 9-wicket win for Vincy over Jamrock. Photo credit: Charlie E. Jackson/VINO

Jamrock’s in form batsman Condell Talle was forced to retire hurt after top edging an attempted pull. He required two stitches in a cut lip, but will back for next Sunday's do or die clash with the Vikings. Photo credit: Charlie E. Jackson/VINO

Dennisford Brown picked up four stumpings during the Jamrock innings of just 101. Photo credit: Charlie E. Jackson/VINO

Kedrick Leslie picked up 3 for 12 to demolish the Jamrock lower order. Photo credit: Charlie E. Jackson/VINO

Having won the toss, Dennisford Brown decided to let Jamrock bat first and in just the 2nd over the decision was justified. Aeon Smith threw away his wicket wandering needlessly out of his crease having played and missed at a Turby Xavier delivery only to be stumped by the ever alert Brown.

Brown would end up with four very smart stumpings, including a delightful leg side reaction effort whilst standing up to Morry Olivierre to remove Alden Burrel for 13 as he attempted to rebuild the innings.

“For the longest while I have been working on my glove work,” noted Brown, the Vincy C.C. Captain, “during every game it has been getting better and right now I feel on top of my game.”

The downfall of Burrell left Jamrock on 40-3 inside 7 overs and they would never really recover to post a competitive score. Morris Mark had already fallen for 14 and worse was to come as Condell Talle, who had scored 80 plus in each of his two previous visits to the crease, unluckily top edged an attempted hook off Brent Defreitas having reached a comfortable 16 and had to retire hurt as well as make a visit to Peebles Hospital to have two stitches put in his top lip.

Wynfield Ambrose stood defiant though and with Leon Thompson using a mixture of swing or miss batting, the pair added 54 for the 4th wicket before Ambrose fell for 25- bowled Maxford Pipe.

94 for 4 in the 14th over soon became 99 for 8 as Kedrick Leslie produced a devastating spell of 3 overs 12 runs and 3 wickets and then Defreitas returned to add the wicket of Ranee Burnott and Thompson for 16 to finish with 2 for 13 as Jamrock were eventually all out for just 101.

Olivierre finished with 2 for 32.

At this point it is hard to describe what happened next, but the Americans would call it “Shock and Awe”, the Brits “D Day”, the Japanese (if they knew what cricket was) “Torre, Torre, Torre” and as for the Jamrock bowlers, well they must have felt they were bowling ping pong balls at a revolving door as Pipe launched an all out assault, cutting and pulling with venom and driving with disdain.

The first over from Wilmot Watson went for 23 including 3 sixes, 2 fours and not surprisingly a single of the last ball. Pipe then let Leslie face a few balls to get off the mark before aiming his destructive powers at Leslie Wilson who went 16 in the 4th over to bring up the Vincy's 50. Then Ambrose went for 23 in the 5th to bring up Pipe's half century as Vincy reached 75 and Wilson saw Pipe hit him out of the ground for 3 sixes as the scored reached 94 before Leslie fell, caught Smith bowled Wilson for just 1.

Pipe at the other end was 87 not out!

The 7th over began with the scores level and with Pipe six away from one of the fastest centuries ever seen in the Territory, Wilson’s first ball was short, however, Pipe’s hook fell agonisingly short of the boundary and only went for four as he finished unbeaten on 98.

“You have to play the ball on merit,” said Pipe, who hit 9 fours and 9 sixes in his amazing innings. “If the bowler bowls a bad ball then you have to hit it over the fence, but in the same token if he bowl a bad ball and you get out well then you can’t score runs. So I stayed in, hit the bad ball and just did what I had to do.”

Brown put the victory down to his bowlers as much as Pipe’s destruction and in truth the groundwork had been done by his seam attack. “The bowlers have been working hard on hitting the right lines and lengths,” he commented, “they are doing their job, sticking to their task and we always have the experienced Defreitas and Pipe to fall back on.”

The win puts Vincy C.C. through to the Fantastic Four, which is a round robin format and which will see the top two teams play off in the championship game at the end of July.