An unbeaten half century from West Indies and Guyana opener, Chandrapaul Hemraj spurred Somerset Cavaliers to a 10-wicket win over Atlanta Fire in the US Open 2019 final Sunday.
Set 104 for victory in a match reduced to 15-overs-a-side, Somerset required just 10.1 overs to reach 109 without loss.
Hemraj blasted five sixes and three fours on his way to 53 from 29 balls. His half century brought him to second on the run scorers chart while his 16 sixes was the most by any batsman and his strike rate of 211 was the highest of the competition.
Hemraj told Stabroek Sport, “Even though it was overcast, it was a good pitch to bat on and we knew we had to get a good start chasing that total.”
The 26-year-old added, “Being a professional, there is always that added pressure to perform and I am happy I did right throughout the tournament.”
The left-handed batsman posited that it was a team effort that led to the title, labeling the side as “a great team with lots of experience.”
Hemraj’s unbroken century opening stand was forged with Kennar Lewis who ended on 53 not out. Lewis’s innings came from 32 balls and was decorated with six fours and three sixes.
Earlier, Man-of-the-Match Navin Stewart stifled the Atlanta batsmen to capture 3 for 11 from his two overs while Syed Najafashah bagged 2 for 20.
Hemraj also picked up 1 for 20 which brought his tally of wickets to six with an economy rate of six. Only Atlanta’s Raunaq Sharma and Cavaliers Kings’ Salil Kumar Yadav had more wickets than the left-arm spinner.
Leading run getter of the tournament, Damian Banks was bowled for two but Sharma (22), Ricardo Powell (24) and Antwain Stephen (23) propelled Atlanta over the 100-run mark.
The tournament saw a high presence of Guyanese players with the likes of Gajanand Singh, Akshaya Persaud, Veerasammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Gudakesh Motie, Jonathan Foo and Narsingh Deonarine featuring.
