The East Coast cricket team led by Mark Harper came out victorious at the inaugural Celebrity Cricket Softball Tournament held during the annual Mothers’ Union Family Fun Day and Fair at the Young Men Christian Association Ground, (YMCA) Thomas Lands recently.
Six teams led by Guyanese ‘Celebrity Cricketers’ made the six-overs-a-side tournament an entertaining one for the spectators present.
In the first round Neil Barry’s Greater Georgetown team defeated Rayon Griffith’s Essequibo side, whilst Shawn Holder’s West Berbice cricketers defeated Central Georgetown, led by Clyde Butts.
And, in the clash of the east domains, Mark Harper’s East Coast line-up overcame Roderick Lovell’s East Bank contingent.
In the Greater Georgetown versus Essequibo encounter Greater Georgetown batted first reaching 57–5 in six overs.
Leslie Edmonson top scored with 16 while Vernie Rasheed grabbed 3–6 from one over.
In reply, Essequibo reached 48–5 in their allotted six overs.
Rayon Griffith and Owela Holder were joint top scorers with 21 (and had to retire out as the rule of the tournament stipulated that when a batter reached 20 runs or above they had to retire out).
In the match between West Berbice and Central George-town, the latter team took first strike and posted 56 – 3 in six overs with Theodore Demonick and Clyde Butts top scoring with 22 and 20 respectively.
Clyde Mc Almont picked up 1 – 15 in his only over.
West Berbice, in reply, stormed to 59 – 3 in 5.1 overs with McCalmont making a sterling 24.
Natasha Mc Donald chipped in with an unbeaten 15 as Ronwell Mc Kenzie grabbed 1 – 12 from one over.
In the East Coast versus East Bank encounter, East Coast reached 42 – 6 with skipper Lovell top scoring with 22.
Jolyon Boston and Teka James grabbed two wickets each for one and two runs respectively.
Harper’s side in reply reached their target courtesy of a last gasp six off the last ball of the innings reaching 45 – 5.
Harper was the top scorer with 24 while Toolsie Persaud grabbed 2 – 2.
The three victorious teams advanced to the semi finals and the losing team with the highest run rate was decided as the fourth team to complete the semis which turned out to be Central Georgetown who proved greater to Greater Georgetown in semi final one.
Ervad Edmonson 20 and Jane Parris 11 not out were the backbone of Greater Georgetown’s innings of 33 – 2 with Jean Smith bagging 1 – 11.
Clyde Butts led his team into the finals with a boundary filled 20 getting to 34 – 7 with Leslie Edmonson and Philip Beckles picking up two wickets each for seven and two runs respectively.
In the second semi-final East Coast was the superior side against West Berbice.
Batting first, East Coast’s 51–6 proved too much for West Berbice who crawled to 30–3 from six overs.
Peter James made 22 and Harper made an unbeaten 18 for East Coast.
In the final Gilbert Taylor made 19 for Central Georgetown while Shelly Gill and Butts supported with 15 and 14 not out respectively as they totalled 48 – 1 in six overs.
In reply, Lennox Henry’s 24 catapulted East Coast to 51 – 3 in 5.1 overs and the Celebrity Cricket Softball Tournament title.
Mc Almont was adjudged the best batsman, Boston the best bowler and Gill the player of the tournament.
