Lower Corentyne were crowned champions in the SBF Petroleum-sponsored Cricket Guyana Inc Jaguars 50-over Franchise League after defeating Upper Corentyne by 231 runs at Cumberland while Essequibo’s 35-run loss against East Bank at Everest condemned them to second place yesterday.
Essequibo’s loss saw them remaining on 25 points while Lower Corentyne’s victory with a bonus point saw them equaling Essequibo’s tally and crowned champions due to their head-to-head victory in the fifth round.
Lower Corentyne took advantage of an eight-man Upper Corentyne unit to post 366-9 after winning the toss and opting to bat. Adrian Sukwah led the charge with a belligerent 98 coming in at six. Sukwah smashed nine fours and five sixes while sharing in a 98-run stand with Junior Sinclair who made 57, which included seven boundaries.
Sinclair’s older brother, Jason, came in to blast 56 and join Sukwah as the pair added 72 for the sixth wicket.
Dimitri Cameron was the most effective bowler, taking 3-69 and was supported by Alex Algoo who took 2-43.
In reply, Algoo returned to stroke 56, decorated with three fours and two sixes.
Junior Sinclair returned to claim 3-39 with his off-spin and earn the man-of-the-match title. Meanwhile, the former champions, Essequibo, were unable to counter a magnificent 96-ball 154 from man-of-the-match, Sherfane Rutherford. The 21-year-old, who was dropped on 97, smacked Ricardo Adams for back-to-back sixes to bring up his half century in 39 balls before flicking a four off of Adams to bring up his ton in 78 balls. Rutherford shifted gear towards attaining his feat of the highest individual score in the history of the competition, hitting 13 sixes and 11 fours.
After Vishual Singh fell for 36, Rutherford and Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed shared in a 148-run stand for the sixth wicket in just 109 balls, which ended with Rutherford being bowled by Quentin Sampson (3-41).
Ali-Mohamed pressed on to make 42 while Akini Adams took 2-47. Ricardo Adams took 1-72 and finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 20 scalps.
In the chase, Trevon France rocked the Essequibo top order to claim 3-35 while a few cameos kept Essequibo in the chase.
Kemol Savory, who finished as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and leading run getter, scored a patient 45. David Williams also made 45 from 20 balls and give the Cinderella county hope.
A sixth wicket partnership of 93 between Sampson and Anthony Adams almost brought the title back to Essequibo. Sampson clobbered 67 from 39 balls, hitting five sixes and four fours before being caught at backward point of off Rutherford.
Essequibo’s hope of winning was extinguished when Anthony Adams was caught at point by Rutherford off of Trevon Griffith for 64 from 55 balls. He stroked five fours and two sixes.
Rutherford swiftly wrapped up Essequibo’s resistance enticing Nealand Codogan into a drive only to edge to the wicketkeeper and taking a low return catch to stun the boisterous crowd and end Essequibo’s dominance.
