14th Regiment Royal Artillery

T20 - Thursday 9 July:

The 14^th Regiment side batted first in the T20 with the innings see-sawing after a brilliant start by openers Craig Ross (40) and Sherwin Govender (32). The pair put on a staggering 52 in the first 4 overs and it was only due to a middle order collapse (six wickets for 22 runs) that brought the run-rate back to some normality. A flurry of runs in the final two overs by Kevin Ramage and JB Wheeler saw the 14^th Regiment reach 142 all out in their allotted 20 overs. For Marsa, Clyde Rossouw captured 4 wickets for 19 runs.

Marsa opener Frank Spiteri got off to another flying start and together with skipper Tony Azzopardi, they reached 95 for 1 in the first 13 overs. The introduction of captain Ian Forrester saw Marsa collapse to 104 for 6. Spiteri was bowled by Forrester for 52 and Azzopardi (26), Clyde Rossouw (0), John Grima (0) and Haroon Majeed (2) were the other wickets to fall. Marsa wicket-keeper batsman Sam Aquilina fought until the very end but his spirited 23 runs off 16 balls was a case of too little too late. Andrew Naudi was dismissed in the penultimate over, dispelling any hopes of a Marsa victory. The home team fell short on 130 for 7 wickets, losing by 12 runs. For the 14^th Regiment, bowling honours went undoubtedly to Ian Forrester for his astonishing spell of 4 overs, 3 wickets for 6 runs, the best ever T20 figures at the Marsa Oval.

Players of the Series, Ian Forrester (14th Regiment) and Sam Aquilina (Marsa Representative).

40 overs - Saturday 11 July:

A young Marsa side batted first and lost wickets at regular intervals. Only Sid Anand (28) and Adam Krishna (22) put up any sign of resistance to the accurate 14^th Artillery attack. Captain Ian Forrester was once again the main destroyer with 8 overs, 3 maidens, 3 wickets for 23 runs; whilst Sherwin Govender and James Walsh also chipped in with 2 wickets a piece. Marsa were dismissed in the 38^th over for a below par 143.

In reply, the 14^th Artillery made easy work of their target and required only 22 overs to seal their victory. It was that man again, Ian Forrester top scoring with a swashbuckling 41 not out off 31 balls. He was ably supported by Rory Duncan (20), Tom Dykes (31) and James Walsh (24). For Marsa, Niraj Khanna took 3 for 24 off 6 overs but it was not enough to deny the Artillery XI a series victory with the Sunday game to spare.

Ian Forrester (14th Regiment) presents Andrew Naudi (Marsa) with a commemorative plaque.

30 overs - Sunday 12 July:

With the series lost, Marsa were looking for a consolation win and to avoid a series whitewash. The visitors batted first and reached 178 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Openers Michael Cook (69) and Craig Ross (17) blasted 72 runs off the first 10 overs and Sherwin Govender (25) and Forrester (19) provided good middle order support. Although Marsa managed to pull the reigns back on the galloping visitors, the horse had well and truly bolted. For Marsa, Edward Manning and John Tucker took 2 wickets each, while Suhrid Roy and Chris Belford picked up one each.

Opening the batting for Marsa, the in-form Sam Aquilina held his bat for the entire innings, scoring an impressive 87 not out off 91 balls. However, regular wickets took their toll and when Andrew Naudi was dismissed for 28, Marsa's chances had slipped away. The home side fell short by only 15 runs.

So the 14th Regiment Royal Artillery team came to Malta and conquered. Team captain Ian Forrester had only praise for both teams, the players and tournament organisers during his presentation speech and later joined his fellow team-mates and the Marsa players for some 'light” refreshments.