A brilliant spell of left-arm spin bowling by West Indies youth player Ashmead Nedd spearheaded a thrilling 22-run win for the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) over host and archrival, the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) in the final of the Noble House Seafoods Under – 19 Generation Next Cricket competition yesterday.
Nedd ended with figures of 5-13 from 10 overs which included six maidens to headline his side’s efforts to dismiss GCC for 125 in 43.3 overs, chasing 148 for victory.
The hosts were well placed to clinch the title, cruising along at 60 without loss in the 15th over after openers Thaddeus Lovell and Andsuegga Rodriguez stitched together a useful opening stand.
However, the introduction of seamer Sachin Singh broke the partnership after he castled Rodriguez (16).
His demise brought Mavendra Dindyal to the crease who was purposeful from the go and eased Singh for two boundaries to get his innings going.
However, spin twins Nedd and Daniel Mootoo, came into the attack and strung together a few tidy overs which allowed Nedd, who seemed unplayable on a turning track, to rip through GCC’s middle order, reducing his counterparts to 92 – 8.
Mootoo removed Lovell (27) and Dindyal (21) was brilliantly stumped by wicket-keeper Garrick Persaud off Mootoo who got one bounce and turn.
After eight wickets tumbled for 32 runs, Carlos Pollard (15) and Shadrach Bacon (6) attempted to build a partnership before Singh removed the latter to leave the score on 115-9.
Pollard and Darrius Andrews took the score to 125 before a brilliant piece of fielding by Nedd on the boundary stopped a four after which he returned a sizzling throw over the stumps to dismiss Pollard via the run-out route to gift his side the win and the title.
Nedd’s efforts were supported by Mootoo (2-20) and Singh (2-25).
Early on, DCC, after winning the toss and electing to bat laboured to 147 before being dismissed in 48.3 overs after being gloomily placed on 62-5.
The hosts unleashed a barrage of spinners against what was deemed a powerful DCC batting line up.
Left-arm spinner Aryan Persaud, who started with the new ball, strangled the misfiring DCC top order and removed Garrick Persaud (10) and Alphius Bookie (04), while off-spinner Andrews accounted for the demise of danger man Singh (18) and Nkosi Beaton (04) to leave the DCC tottering 62-5.
Tameshwar Persaud was the other man dismissed, bowled by seamer Bacon.
At that point, the game was meandering along and it appeared as if DCC would have been bundled out for a score under 100.
However, DCC’s lower order came to the fore and dug their side out of a precarious position. The innings top scorer Qumar Torrington, led the recovery and batted smartly for an innings of 37 inclusive of one four and a maximum – the only one for the innings.
He shared in two 24-run partnerships with Mootoo (24), Dequan Bamfield (5) as Persaud ended with 2-23 while Andrews snared 2-31.
