Sinclair’s ton not enough as ACS beat Lusignan in tour opener

A scintillating century from Guyana and West Indies cricketer Kevin Sinclair was not enough to secure victory for Lusignan Sports Club as the visiting American Cricket Society/Everest (ACS) pulled off a narrow three-wicket win in the first match of their ACS Goodwill Tour at the Lusignan Community Centre ground on Thursday.

Opting to bat first, Lusignan found themselves under early pressure after losing wickets at regular intervals in the opening overs. Robin Williams (10) and Chaitram Balgobin (8) departed early, while Nigel Deodat soon followed as the home side slipped to 31-3.

With the innings in danger of collapsing, Sinclair produced a magnificent counter-attacking display. The right-hander dominated the ACS attack with a powerful knock of 115 from just 71 deliveries, striking five fours and 10 towering sixes.

His aggressive strokeplay lifted Lusignan’s scoring rate and ensured the innings never stalled despite the fall of wickets around him.

Support, however, proved limited. Myheim Khan made 10 before falling, while Sanjay Algoo added a valuable late 26 to give the innings some momentum in the closing stages.

Sinclair’s dismissal in the 28th over with the score on 178 effectively ended Lusignan’s hopes of pushing beyond the 200 mark, and they eventually closed on 195-9 from their 30 overs.

For ACS, Karan Ganesh led the bowling effort with three wickets, while Jeremy Sandia and Justin Doobay provided solid support with two wickets each.

In reply, ACS made a steady start but were checked by some disciplined bowling from Lusignan. Kevon Boodie struck a brisk 20 and Keeran Krishna added 10 before both were removed by Nigel Deodat, who bowled an excellent spell to keep the hosts in contention.

The chase briefly faltered when Randall Wilson fell without scoring, leaving ACS at 43-3. Aldane Thomas then helped stabilise the innings with a composed 31, sharing a crucial partnership with Ryan Francis, who top-scored for the visitors with 40.

Just as Lusignan looked to regain control, ACS continued to find timely contributions. Bhaskar Yadram chipped in with a quick 20, but his dismissal with the score on 157-7 brought renewed tension to the contest.

With the match delicately poised, captain Akeem Dewar stepped up with a decisive late cameo. His unbeaten 28 from 16 balls, supported by Romeo Deonarain’s calm 22 not out, carried ACS across the line at 196-7 with just two balls remaining.

Deodat finished as Lusignan’s most effective bowler with figures of 3-28, but despite their efforts in the field, the hosts were left to rue missed opportunities and the lack of substantial support for Sinclair’s superb century.

The ACS/Everest Goodwill Tour 2026 continues on Friday (March 13) at the Enterprise Community Centre Ground where the visitors will take on the home side from noon.

(SOURCE: FL Sport)