The script had already been written. The two Berbice teams would clash in the final. The venue had already been identified.
But, the two City teams would have none of it. They rewrote the script.
Yesterday at the Georgetown Cricket Club’s Bourda ground, Gizmos and Gadgets Georgetown Pitbulls and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President’s XI eliminated the two Berbice sides from the 2011 Carib Beer/Pepsi national wide Twenty20 competition.
The two teams will now clash in the final at the Albion Community Centre ground on Sunday.
The match is scheduled to bowl off from 1:00pm.
In yesterday’s opening semi-final, Gizmos and Gadgets Georgetown Pitbulls, thanks to a four-wicket haul from former Guyana Under-19 left-arm spinner Totaram Bishun, spun out Mario’s Pizza West Berbice Super Kings to secure a 29-run win.
The town side reached a competitive score of 151 for five from their allotted 20 overs after they had lost the toss and were sent in to bat.
They returned to dismiss the visitors for 122 from 19.2 overs. Bishun was the star for the town side, claiming figures of 4 for 27 from his four overs.
The city team made their runs collectively with opener Trevon Griffith (31) giving them a good start as they reached 41 runs from 4.2 overs. But Eon Abel (2-16) reduced the hosts to 58-2 in the ninth over when he removed both Griffith and former West Indies One-day international player Leon Johnson (6).
Rajendra Chandrika (47) and West Indies T20 player Christopher Barnwell (27) then combined for a 40-run partnership in 4.4 overs in the middle overs. Steven Jacobs was the other significant scorer with 21.
Pacer Keon Joseph (2-23) and Krishnadat Ramoo (1-25) were the other wicket takers along with Abel.
In pursuit, Mario’s Pizza West Berbice Super Kings lost both openers, National T20 opener Richard Ramdeen (3) and Romain Budram (0) at 9-2 in 2.3 overs to off-spinner Jacobs (2-27).
The innings further got bogged down when Bishun came into the attack and exploited the turning surface with his left-arm wrist spin bowling.
Both Devon Clements (5) and Keith Fraser (6), departed by the 14th over to Bishun, while off-spinner Dion Ferrier then removed Eon Abel (16) and top scorer Karamdat Bisoondyal (46).
Bishun then sent back for Krishnadat Ramoo (6) and Brandon Bess (0) with consecutive deliveries in the 18th over to end the innings.
In the second semi-final GCB President’s XI upset the star studded Church’s Chicken Corentyne Titans by 19-runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method.
Winning the toss and batting first the GCB XI, led by Vishaul Singh saw their opening pair of Norman Fredericks and Elton Baker adding 29 from six overs before Fredericks (9) ran past an off-break from Steven Latcha and was stumped by wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble.
Skipper Singh then joined Baker and the pair took the President’s XI past the 50-run mark in over number nine. The second wicket fell with the score on 59 in the 10th over, when Baker (25) tried to launch Narsingh Deonarine into the Lance Gibbs stand, but only managed to hit a catch to Steven Latcha on the long-on boundary.
Two overs later Jeetendra Sookdeo (2) became Deonarine’s second victim when he feathered a catch to the ‘keeper, leaving the President’s XI on 72/3 in the 12th over.
A fourth-wicket partnership of 59 between Singh and Dellon Heyleger, in which they mixed clever running behind the wickets with the odd boundary, saw the score reach 131/4.
In the final over both Singh 50 (44 balls, 4×3 and 1×6) and Heyleger 35 (2×6, 1×4) were dismissed via the run out route as the President’s XI closed on 144 for 5 of 20 overs.
Deonarine was the principal wicket taker with 2-20 off three overs.
The Titans’ run chase was delayed for about 15 due to the umpires requiring the print out of the Duckworth/Lewis sheet as ominous grey clouds began to circle around the former test venue.
However when play commenced, the Titans chase slumped to 36/4 after six overs when the rains came and brought an end to proceedings at 3:42 pm. Off-spinner Eon Hooper, who finished with an analysis of 3-0-11-3 broke the back of their innings removing big name players such as Sewnarine Chattergoon (9), Deonarine (0) and Royston Crandon (5).
