Friendship Secondary, like fine wine only got better as the Regional Democratic Council (RDC)/ Lloyd Britton/Devcon Construction/ Regional Executive Officer (REO) Region Four Inter-Secondary School knockout tournament progressed and will now look to secure the third place when they clash with a strong Hope Secondary School today at the Everest Cricket Club, Camp Road.
The two innings per side contest, in its inaugural run, has unearthed some young prospects in the region, especially in the outskirts of the capital.
Both Hope and Friendship Secondary Schools could have easily booked spots in the final but as fate would have it, the two will battle for the consolation third prize.
Friendship might be feeling a bit unlucky after their semifinal clash against Diamond Secondary last week where the weather made it a 14 over affair. Friendship relied heavily on their bowlers, who stepped up to the challenge.
Friendship managed to contain the destructive national batsman, Mavindra Dindyal while stifling the scoring to reduce the East Bank Demerara School to 62-4 from their seven overs while their batting equally up to the challenge matched the score as the contest ended in a draw where Diamond advanced by virtue of accumulated points.
Prince Ford and Damion Smith led the bowling from the front, claiming more than five wickets each in all their matches but the stand out bowler has been Rondel Kattow who impressed with 6-6 match figures in the second round against Soesdyke Secondary.
Unfortunately, Kattow suffered a broken thumb, holding on to a sharp return catch from Dindyal in the semifinal.
Adrian Lim, at the top of the order, has been explosive and is the backbone of the team, consistently guiding them through rough points in the game, even scoring a responsible 44 against Soesdyke.
On the other hand, their opponents, Hope, will not roll over lightly as their bowlers have shared the work load and flustered teams for sub-par scores.
Amir Mohamed has been the stand out bowler, claiming match figures of 6-8 in the semifinals with Troy Simpson, one of a handful of bowlers with a five-wicket haul continuing to improve.
Transport Sports Club star, Joshua Blackman has been a class above his team, leading with both bat and ball. Blackman, already with a blistering half century to his name has picked up significant wickets including a 4-11 spell in the semifinals and it is no surprise that Hope has managed to roll over teams, most notably, Ann’s Grove Secondary for scores of 57 and 44.
The contest is expected to begin from 09:00h and admission is free.
