By Marlon Munroe
Georgetown Cricket Assoc-iation/Cellink Plus first division Super League joint champions Everest Cricket Club (ECC) and Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) along with league champions Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) (with the most points after the preliminary round) were rewarded yesterday afternoon at the Georgetown Cricket Club main pavilion.
ECC and GNIC, who shared the $100,000 top prize, were named joint champions since rain washed out two of the three days in the final played last weekend at the GCC ground. MSC emerged victorious after the round robin stages of the tournament with the most wins but were subsequently beaten outright in the semi-final by GNIC.
MSC’s captain Steven Jacobs was named the best batsman of the tournament scoring two centuries and one half century. He scored 406 runs, the most in the championships, at an average of 67.67. Sauid Drepaul, who was the runner up in that department with 386 runs with three half centuries and a century, was also the top all-rounder with 24 wickets.
Ranole Bourne, of Police Sports Club, rounded out the top three with 367 runs from seven innings and an average 52. He also scored a century and three fifties. MSC’s Damian Vantull was the leading bowler in the competition with 35 wickets at an average 10.51> He captured two five wicket hauls and one 10 wicket haul while Seon Daniels had 15 wickets at an average of 15.20.
At the ceremony, president of the GCA, Alfred Mentore lauded the cricketers for their performances throughout the tournament. He noted that the tournament was designed to ensure the players were exposed to a highly competitive standard of cricket.
“Our (GCA) intention was to use this tournament to stimulate conditions that are experienced in the Inter County four-day cricket, the first class regional cricket tournament where players get accustomed to batting for longer periods”, Mentore explained.
“I understand from the coaches of all the participating eight teams that there was emphasis on consistency of efforts. This attitudinal adjustment was one of our objectives,” he added.
He also thanked the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph company (GT&T) for its support of Sport and the Arts in the country. He pointed out that although the world was experiencing a financial meltdown that Guyana was not immune to, GT&T’s commitment must be applauded. He also urged other corporate entities to emulate GT&T.
Mentore explained to the small gathering that the tournament was also designed to identify young talent that can be nurtured for the “association, county, regional and international listings. He said that the competition statistics was compiled to select the Demerara Inter-County squad that is slated to begin on Tuesday. He said that he relished in the fact that 16 of the players in the squad are from Georgetown.
Marketing Officer 1 of GT&T Phaedra Cramer-Phillips stated that while she grew to love the game of cricket recently the company, in its second year of sponsorship, will continue to support the youth development. She implored the cricketers that they must not only focus on excelling at sport but they must also look to develop themselves by acquiring a sound education in the process.