Defending champs Demerara yesterday retained their title by virtue of a nail-biting draw against Berbice in the final of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Pepsi Senior Inter-county tournament at the Albion Community Center Ground yesterday.
Scores in the match Berbice 131-3 off 20 overs; Demerara 131-9.
Man-of-the-match Devendra Bishoo’s four wickets and Steven Jacobs’ aggressive 33
were not enough to take their respective teams completely over the line.
The match at one point looked close to being abandoned due to the morning’s intermittent showers but was eventually reduced to 20 overs-a-side.
After the ground staff worked effortlessly in a bid to ensure that some play was contested, the match commenced at 13:30hrs.
Demerara won the toss and elected to field allowing the Berbicians to post 131 for 3 off their 20 overs.
Openers Sewnarine Chattergoon and Anthony D’Andrade got off to an ominous start by taking a few boundaries off fast bowler Andre Stoll’s first few overs.
After pushing the score to 73 for 1 and carving five boundaries, the skipper Chattergoon (36), had his stumps knocked over by Demerara vice-captain, Steven Jacobs.
The all-rounder followed up his dismissal of the Berbice skipper by getting rid of Dandridge, who provided a catch to Paul Wintz for an aggressive 39, inclusive of four fours.
With the score 96 for 2, slight showers returned and Berbice were 120 for 2 from 19 overs.
Upon resumption, Devon Clements (15) not out and the pugnacious Jonathan Foo, who slammed a cameo 23 off of 13 inclusive of three fours and one six, was also caught by Wintz off the bowling of skipper Christopher Barnwell, giving the Berbicians a respectable total to defend.
Jacobs grabbed two and Barnwell one wicket.
After the Duckworth/Lewis method was applied to the scenario due to interruptions from the rain Demerara needed a revised target 151 for victory from 20 overs.
The champs reached 150 for 9 thanks to contributions from openers Trevon Griffith (19) and Robin Bacchus (20), who quickly put the Berbice bowlers to the sword, as they got the champions off to a good start.
Griffith looked dangerous after crunching a trio of boundaries in his knock but fell victim to Krisendat Ramoo after he was caught by home-turf boy, Rajiv Ivan.
Bacchus was his usual aggressive self, picking up the singles and two’s hitting a couple of boundaries in his entertaining knock, before he departed caught by Foo off the bowling of Ramoo, who collected his second.
Clements soon had his first wicket when he removed Shemroy Barrington for 3, caught Devendra Bishoo.
With the score 53 for 3, the tournament’s most prolific player, the Demerara skipper Barnwell walked out to the middle to partner Rajendra Chandrika.
He opened his account with a straight six, followed by some keen running between the sticks. Chandrika (13) was then stumped by wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble off the bowling of leg-spinner Bishoo.
The skipper and his deputy Jacobs then took the fight to the opposition by hitting some much need boundaries and maximums, in a bid to take their team to safety.
But trouble soon stepped in when the in-form skipper fell for 18, when he was caught by his opposite number Chattergoon off the bowling of Bishoo.
Jacobs, who slammed an aggressive 33 of 19 balls, was caught in the deep by Romario Shepherd-DeJonge, as Bishoo began to work his magic.
The woes continued when Zaheer Mohamed (7), attempted a reverse sweep and was bowled by the in-form leg-spinner who picked up his fourth in the 18th over.
After breaking the shackles and smashing a much needed six, Derwin Christian was the caught by Foo in the deep for 13 that was soon followed by the dismissal of Williams (10) who was caught by Clements off the bowling of Hooper.
Needing 13 to win from the last ball Stoll and Paul Wintz struck a couple of two’s off fast bowler Keon Joseph as the champs fell short of their target by one run.
Bishoo 4 for 32 was the chief destroyer. Hooper, 2 for 33 and Ramoo 2 for 24 were the other standout bowlers while Clements claimed one.
