A devastating spell of left arm spin bowling from Guyana Under-15 cricketer Gudakesh Motie led Albion to an impressive victory over Tucber Park in their replayed BCB/Tenelec Inc Under-15, limited overs semi-final last Saturday.
The two teams had previously played to a tie forcing the Berbice Cricket Board to reschedule the match which saw Albion emerging victorious by 29 runs at the Edinburgh ground.
The match was reduced to 40-overs-a-side because of a late start due to heavy rain the previous day and Albion Community Centre, surprisingly elected to bat first on a pitch that still had some moisture after they won the toss.
Albion must have regretted that decision when they slumped to 14 for 3 in the eighth over with national Under-15 all rounder Romario De Jonge picking up two wickets and Berbice Under-15 pacer Nial Smith the other.
However the pressure eased up when the two pacers came off after they had each bowled five overs and Gudakesh Motie (19) and David Lachaiya (14)o put on 46 crucial runs before they both fell to off-spinner Aryton Adams to leave Albion 60 for 5.
With right arm legspinner Daniel Thuesday picking up two wickets, Adams another and De Jonge two in his second spell, Albion managed to reach 87 all out in 28.4 overs.
Bowling for Tucber Park, De Jonge took 4 for 13, Adams 3 for 15 and Thuesday 2 for 29.
Tucber Park in reply, lost Adams for four with only five runs on the board.
The other opening batsman De Jonge together with Gary Millington moved the score sedately along until Millington was run out after a partnership of 18.
Three runs later, the in-form Hakeem Hinds was also run out leaving Tucber in a spot of bother at 26 for 3.
Smith joined De Jonge who took 10 runs off Motie’s first over.
Motie was to have the last laugh however as he snatched a helmet trick including among them the wicket of De Jong.
He first bowled Smith for 8, had De Jonge trapped LBW for 23, dismissed Jerome Henry for nought and bowled Martin Singh for nought to reduce Tucber Park to 50 for 7.
Keirre and Kevin Henry grafted a further eight runs for the eighth wicket before Motie struck again removing Kevin Henry for 2, Gavin Moriah Jnr for 0 and Daniel Thuesday for 0, all LBW in consecutive balls to register a hat-trick as Tucber Park was dismissed for 58 in 16.4 overs, losing their last seven wicket for just nine runs. Motie’s feat is unprecedented in recent Berbice cricket history.
Albion Community Centre will clash with other winning semi-finalist Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes in the final on Thursday at the Albion Community Development Centre ground.
