By Neil Barry Jr.,
The Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Sunday successfully defended its Queensway limited overs title in an exciting match at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground prevailing over the home side by 18 runs based on revised calculations after the match ended early due to bad light.
The match was fiercely contested from start to finish and a total of 668 runs were scored for the loss of 17 wickets.
GCC batting first scored 345-8 while DCC in reply reached 323-9 when the umpires decided that the light was not good enough to continue.
Following the calculations by the match referee DCC would have been required to be 341-9 in order to win and GCC were declared the winners. Earlier, DCC won the toss and decided to bowl first and narrowly missed dismissing Jeetendra Sookdeo off the very first delivery of the innings but skipper Christopher Barnwell missed the run out attempt.
The other opener Robin Bacchus played well in making 82 from 44 delivers with six sixes and seven fours before he was dismissed by Gajanand Singh in the 13th over. His dismissal let in Ramnaresh Sarwan and GCC continued to score at quicker than a run-a-ball.
On 46, Sarwan missed an attempted flick onto the leg side off the bowling of Singh and was stumped by Derwin Christian to end a fluent innings that lasted 63 deliveries. At 191-2 in the 29th over, and with Leon Johnson replacing Sarwan GCC was sitting pretty. DCC was unable to effect the breakthrough and the fielders watched in horror as Christian dropped Sookdeo off left-arm spinner Totaram Bishun one ball after a loud appeal for caught behind was turned down.
The batting power play taken in the 36th over with GCC having eight wickets intact was to increase GCC’s advantage.
However, Sookdeo was run out for 74 from 115 deliveries with eight fours and a nicely-timed six over cover and his dismissal revitalized DCC as Andrew Lyght Jr., hit the stumps from backward square to send Vishaul Singh back without facing a ball while two balls later, Elon Fernandes was bowled by Stoll to quickly reduce GCC to 247-5.
GCC were let off the hook when Barnwell failed to hold on to not one but two return catches from Gavin Singh, the second, much simpler than the first. The fall of wickets had put a brake on the scoring rate and meant that Johnson had to play with more assurance while still ensuring GCC did not lose too much momentum. He responded well by playing a composed innings, bringing up a half century with a six over long on off his opposite number, before driving him down the ground for another boundary. His 50 came up in 52 deliveries and helped take GCC past 300 in the 46th over. Johnson capitalized on DCC’s fielding errors by motoring into the 80s with some aggressive stroke play, favouring the pull and straight drive but fell in the 49th over, bowled by Stoll for 89 with the score on 338. His crucial innings used just 62 deliveries and included six powerful sixes and an equal number of well-placed fours. In the last over Paul Wintz picked up the wickets of Gavin Singh for 20 and Raj Nanan but it didn’t stop GCC from posting 8 for 345. DCC had included Travis Dowlin to add experience to their team for the final and the former Test player opened his account with a cover driven boundary before Lyght Jr., imperiously hit a six over cover when Joshua Wade over pitched. Lyght Jr., perished in the fifth over, miscuing a slower ball from Wade and lobbing a catch to Sarwan at midwicket.
He had made 22 of the 32 runs scored at that point.
Gajanand Singh and Dowlin batted with ease, the pair bringing up their half century partnership in the eighth over. They continued to accumulate runs briskly until Dowlin was bowled by Robin Bacchus for 35 with two sixes and three fours, a dismissal that ignited the sizeable crowd. This brought Barnwell to the crease with the score on 98 in the 14th over and the game still wide open.
Barnwell started off like a house on fire. A leg stump full toss first up was duly dispatched behind square for six and the half volley from Raj Nanan which followed was spanked past cover for another boundary. After pulling a Robin Bacchus waist high full toss imperiously for six, Barnwell was dropped by Vishaul Singh at deep midwicket off Nanan, a difficult chance. And as is usually the case, the next ball was struck past the sweeper on the off side for another boundary.
Gajanand Singh duly brought up his half century in 42 balls while Barnwell reached that landmark shortly after off just 37 deliveries with a punch past point for four.
At 181 in the 25th over, DCC was ahead of GCC at that stage. However, DCC lost Singh who cut a delivery from Gavin Singh to Bacchus at backward point departing for 63 from 55 balls with six fours and a slog swept six. Jamal Hinckson faced 15 balls before he was bowled behind his legs sweeping at the leg spin of Johnson for four and with 20 overs to go, DCC were 200-4, needing 149 more runs with six wickets in hand. With West Indies T20 representatives Barnwell and Christian at the crease DCC seemed in a good position but Wade returned in the 38th over to remove Christian, caught at the midwicket boundary for 29, by which time his compatriot Barnwell, visibly suffering from cramps, was forced to retire hurt on 92 an innings which included four sixes and seven fours.
Omesh Dhanram hit a six and a four but was bowled by Johnson allowing Barnwell to return to the crease. Barnwell’s return was short-lived as he struck the next ball he faced to long off to spark wild celebrations in the GCC camp. The match took a dramatic turn in the 47th over when Paul Wintz disdainfully struck two fours through cover before mis hitting a full toss to long on where Robin Bacchus held the catch despite colliding with another fielder. Wade then dismissed Orlando Sturge in the 48th over at the end of which DCC were 323-9. It was then that the umpires decided to leave the field for bad light, bringing a premature end to the match at approximately 5:30 pm, a decision which did not find favour with the large crowd.
Upon calculations of the revised target by the umpires and match referee, DCC needed to be 341 at this stage and GCC was awarded the win by 18 runs. Johnson finished with 4-66 and Wade 3 for 69.
At the presentation ceremony a number of DVD players, rugs, and televisions were awarded to the MVP’s of each round, the respective Man of the Match, as well as match officials and support staff.
Johnson carted off the Man-of-the-Match prize while GCC received the Queensway Cup for the second year in succession.
