It was a day when people turned out in their numbers at the Bourda ground to witness the culmination of what has been a successful tournament organized by the Guyana Softball League (GSL) and played under floodlights in various categories.
The first match to set the tone was the Under-15 level for the KIDICARE Trophy. Zeeburg Youths won the toss and elected to bat and seemed to be in trouble almost immediately as the Uitvlugt Youths opening bowler Adrian Ramsammy got two wickets in his first over with only four runs on the board.
But Man-of-the-Match Kwason Joseph steadied the innings and then proceeded to take command by clobbering the bowlers to all parts of the field as he chalked up an unbeaten 60 (3×4, 6×6) off 40 balls.
Zeeburg Youths eventually ended on 115-6. The best bowler for Uitvlugt Youths was opening bowler Adrian Ramsammy with 2-16 from two overs.
When Uitvlugt began their innings Arshad Azim took 15 runs from the first over as the crowd urged the teams on. Azim only added three more runs to his score before he was brilliantly run out by a direct hit from long on fielder David Baird.
Subsequently, the innings went into a decline and they ended on 75 all out in 9.5 overs.
In the Over-40 category for the WEL LMAN Masters Trophy, Trophy Stall Masters overwhelmed Shattaville by 34 runs to become the countrywide Masters Champions. Trophy Stall was invited to bat first and rattled up 209-8 in their 25 overs with Dennis Mangroo making 41(3×6, 3×4) while Colin Greaves supported with 36(1×6; 6×4) and Rudy Rodrigues with 30(4×6).
Shattaville’s Lionel Persaud had figures of 2-11 (5) and Narine Ragunandan 2-36 (5). Shattaville, in response, were limited to 175 off their 25 overs with Gerald McKoy top scoring with 25. Man-of-the-match Rudy Rodrigues took 3 wickets for 29 runs (4).
For the WEL WOMAN Trophy Number 68 All Stars prevailed in an exciting match after Heavenly Angels won the toss, batted and made 144-7 in 15 overs. Urma Gidding made 60 which included three boundaries and four sixes.
Tenaza Leonard took 3-23 from 2 overs. When Number 68 All Stars batted they were in trouble early but Player-of-the-Match Melanie Henry smashed an undefeated 57 (5×4’ 4×6) off 34 balls which saw them to victory off the last ball of their allotted 15 overs.
Shermaine Balgobin of Heavenly Angels took 3-24 from 3 overs.
In the feature event between Die Hard of Essequibo and Rangers SC of West Demerara, some scintillating shots were played as Rangers SC dethroned Die Hard to become the new countrywide champions.
Die Hard XI won the toss and scored 127-9 in their 15 overs with Richard Patterson top scoring with 26.
The best bowler for Rangers SC was Asif Saffie, who, took 4-20 from 3 overs. Supporting him was Dhanraj Champalall, who bowled with Vengeance to take 2-21 from 3 overs.
Rangers SC in their turn at the crease cruised to 128-1 in 10.3 overs with Man-of-the-Match Ameer Nizamuddeen clobbering 62 not out (2×4, 5×6) off 31 balls. Safraz Karim contributed an unbeaten 45.
At the presentation ceremony, Director of Youth and Sport Neil Kumar congratulated the various winners and noted the need for the teams to use the games to bridge the gap among the communities.
He urged the winners to be role models in society and make meaningful contributions to their respective communities.
Sponsor Mike Singh, Proprietor of Mike’s Pharmacy, reiterated those views and reasoned that softball cricket can help people to become healthier, thereby improving production in the nation. Trophies and cash incentives were awarded to various winners.
KIDICARE, WELLMAN and WELLWOMAN products were also distributed to all those who attended the finals and to those who participated in the tournament.
