By Calvin Roberts
A responsible innings from captain Ramnarine Chattergoon and some tidy spin bowling from national right arm leg spinner Devendra Bishoo helped pilot Albion Community Centre Cricket Club into the final of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Carib Beer/Pepsi-sponsored national Twenty20 final with a 59-run victory over Leguan Cricket Club yesterday.
Albion won the toss and opted to bat first on a wicket that had some uneven bounce.
They eventually reached 137-9 from their 20 overs with Chattergoon top scoring with 54 aided by three fours.
He received fine support from Bishoo who struck an attractive 24 during a fifth wicket partnership between the two that yielded 55 runs. After losing Guyana’s latest and Berbice’s 13th test player Sewnarine Chattergoon, who was caught at short midwicket from a leading edge off the bowling of Faoud Mohammed for 16 (3x4s) Ramnarine Chattergoon and Bishoo began the recovery with some positive running between the wickets which left their opponents bewildered at times. They rarely attacked, only when the ball was loose and their partnership was built on twos and threes. When Bishoo was caught by Hemraj Persaud on the long off boundary off Bryan Roopchand (4-22) with the score reading 105-5, Chattergoon continued to soldier on for his team reaching his half century when he pulled Roopchand over midwicket for four. He struck the next delivery over backward square leg for another four before Roopchand knocked back his middle stump as he attempted a big heave off the next delivery.
After his demise at 132-9 in the 19th over, the remaining two batsmen were intent on playing out the remaining overs whilst at the same time keeping their wickets intact.
Mohammed (2-20) and Tyrone Narine (2-26) offered support to Roopchand. When Leguan began their reply, they found themselves in a spot of bother when they lost Dhanraj Ramsamooj who was bowled by Ramnarine Chattergoon without scoring in the second over after Doodnauth Lallbeharry sent down a maiden first over in their innings.
A 43-run second wicket partnership between Roopchand (27; 1×6) and Muneshwar Jathan (18; 2x4s) helped restore some order until the ball was tossed to Bishoo.
After seeing Harrinarine Chattergoon grass an easy chance offered by Jathan off his bowling, and then being hit for six by the same batsman off the first delivery of his next over, Bishoo took matters into his own hands when he knocked back Jathan’s middle stump with a googly. He placed himself in line for a hat trick after dislodging new man Hokum Savitir first ball and can count himself unlucky not to have achieved the feat when Shazad Razak struck one wide of him and down the ground for a single to open his account.
This did not deter Bishoo who returned to dislodge Razak courtesy of a magnificent catch by Jonathan Foo on the long on boundary in his next over to leave Leguan tottering on 53-4. It soon became 54-7 as Mohammed, Kevin Gordon and skipper Trevor Whyte all went without scoring. All this time, Roopchand was soldiering on for his team even hitting former national under-19 off spinner Michael Chinsammy over long off and out of the ground for six. But all this was to no avail and when he departed at 86-7 in the 18th over, the writing was already on the wall for the Leguan team who crossed three rivers (Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice) for this encounter.
Bishoo ended with 4-10 while Chattergoon , Veerasammy Permaul and Chinsammy each took a wicket.
Albion will play the winner of the second semi final which will see Malteenoes Sports Club opposing Rose Hall Town Windies Sports Bar at the National Stadium, Providence next Thursday.
