Despite the inclement weather and the fact that most sports bodies have already closed off their 2019 season, Berbice cricket continues this weekend with a packed schedule of high-profile matches.
All eyes will be on today’s Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC)/ Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Busta Champion-of- Champions 40-overs-a-side, first-division showdown between hosts, Albion Community Centre and last year’s runner-up Young Warriors Cricket Club.
The winners will advance to the final.
Albion has won two titles since the tournament first bowled off in 2003.
This year, they have shown their pedigree with a commanding 131-run victory over West Berbice in the early stages of the knock out competition.
Young players like Sarwan Chaitnarine, Jeetendra Outar, Adrian Sukhwa, Gourav Ramesh and others have stepped up in the absence of key players.
In contrast, Young Warriors scampered to a two-wicket win over Rose Hall Canje to advance. With seasoned campaigners such as Linden Austin, Alex Algoo, Suresh Dhanai, Seon Hetmyer, Trevon Stanislaus, Ishwar Singh and company all producing the goods for last year’s beaten finalist, they will need to come to the party if they are to go one step further this year.
Equally as important will be the contest between defending champions, Rose Hall Town Thunderbolt Flour and Blairmont Blazers.
This match is one which has attracted the most talk across Berbice with Thunderbolts being the most successful team in the 16-year history of the competition with 11 titles.
With national players and Cricket Guy Inc., contracted players barred from participation, Thunderbolts will be without a number of marquee players including national all-rounder Clinton Pestano whose seven-wicket haul spurred them to the title last year as well as West Indies under-19 selectee Kevlon Anderson and Kevin Sinclair who is with the West Indies Emerging players team currently in the final of CWI’s Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50.
But with the calibre of Shawn Pereira, Eon Hooper, Delbert Hicks, Keith Simpson, Jonathan Rampersaud and the Sinclair brothers, Jason and Junior all in the huddle on home turf, they will still feel good to come up against Blairmont.
Blairmont has shut down speculations of being an inexperienced side with the West Berbice unit producing a massive 190-run win over Police compliments of centuries from teens, Seon Glasgow and Javid Karim. Under the leadership of Shabeer Baksh, along with up-and-coming players, Nigel Deodat and Marvan Prashad, Blairmont will not roll over and go down without a fight.
In pursuit of the title though, they will still have to face the winner of the clash between Tucber Park and two-time winners and hosts, Port Mourant. Both teams will want to find form heading into the lone semi-final which is set to follow tomorrow at the winner’s home. These matches begin at 11.00 hours.
Today will also see the BCB/ Trophy Stall under-13 semi-final matches with Rose Hall Town Poonai battling Rose Hall Canje at Hampshire and Achievers going up against Albion at Bush Lot from 09.00 hours
