Antigua’s Deran Benta Recruited To Play In The Netherlands

By Neto Baptiste

Top order batsman, Deran Benta, is taking his talent to the Netherlands after being invited to play with the Sparta Cricket 1888 team in the KNCB T20 Cup, scheduled to bowl off this weekend and end in September.

Benta, who plays locally for the Jennings Tigers, left for the Netherlands on Tuesday to compete in what is considered the highest level of Dutch club cricket.

The Antiguan spoke briefly to Observer media prior to leaving for the Netherlands.

“I feel extremely proud that someone is realising my talent to bring me aboard. I got this opportunity through playing with a guy in the big six T20 in St Kitts,” he said.

The club, based near Rotterdam, frequently tests its rosters in various European and regional formats depending on the season. The club is a branch of Sparta Rotterdam founded on April 1st 1888, as cricket club.

Benta, who featured in the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association’s (ABCA) Two Day competition, finished as the second highest scorer with 596 runs in 11 innings at an average of 59.75. He was second only to Liberta Blackhawks’ Kofi James who amassed a total of 609 runs in 13 innings.