Albion Community Centre Sports Club and Young Warriors Cricket Club will clash in the final of the 2007 Berbice Cricket Board (BCB)/TELENEC sponsored 50-overs first division competition after registering comfortable victories in their semi-final matches on Sunday.
Playing against Rose Hall Community Centre at home, Albion on the back of an accomplished 79 from national under-19 middle order batsman Jonathan Foo along with Hemant Rabindradat’s 4-15 extracted revenge on their opponents who had beaten them in the semi-final of the Isaac Bissoon three-day competition earlier this year.
Being asked to take first strike in a game that was reduced to 40 overs owing to overnight rain, the home team made 194-9 with Foo, who struck six fours and one six, leading the batting with support from national left arm orthodox bowler Veerasammy Permaul (24) and former West Indies middle order batsman Narsingh Deonarine with 18, playing his first match since his back injury.
Foo and Deonarine featured in a 48-run third wicket partnership for their team as fast bowler Kawal Mangal with 2-29 along with off spinner Romesh Munna (2-30) and left arm spinner Sean Jhettoo 2-42 did the damage with the ball for Rose Hall.
Rose Hall saw their reply off to a sound start as former Guyana under-15 batsman Sanjay Khan (44) and former Berbice under-19 cricketer Daryl Narine (20) added 66 runs for the first wicket in 16 overs.
But with the introduction of Rabindradat along with national leg spinner Devendra Bishoo (2-14) and Deonarine (2-16), Rose Hall slipped to 79-7 and then limped to 132-9 at the end of their 40 overs as no other batsmen managed to get into double figures.
In the other semi-final played at Scottsburg United ground in Corriverton, former Berbice under-19 batsman Farouk Hussein’s 60 guided Young Warriors to 148 all out from 34.3 overs after their game was also affected by rain and was reduced to a 35 overs affair, and an unlikely 38 runs victory over the home team.
They have themselves to blame for such a paltry total even though it ended up as a winning one when they slipped from the comfortable position of 88-2 to 118-5 and then their final total as Scottsburg bowling led by James Hart (3-26) and Alex Amsterdam (2-26) pulled back things for their team.
However, Young Warriors’ total proved to be a winning one when they took to the field as they bowled out Scottsburg for 110 in 31 overs even though they got a start of 31 from Amsterdam and national under-19 wicket-keeper/batsman Anthony Bramble who top scored with 21.
Former Berbice limited overs player Paul Wintz (3-10) continued to be a thorn in the flesh for his team’s opponents when he picked up three quick wickets to set back the home team who slipped to 39-3 and with the off spin of national middle order batsman Gajanand Singh (2-15) and Hussain (2-17) Scottsburg slipped further to 58-5.
But their hopes would have been raised, following a 28-run sixth wicket partnership between Errol Byass and Peter Grimes (20) but once the two were separated, it all went downhill for Scottsburg, handing Young Warriors a 38-run victory.
Albion and Young warriors will face each other in the final slated for 24th August at Albion Community Centre ground.
