A tenacious ton from Balchan Baldeo saw Rose Hall Tigers lifting their first title with a 10-wicket win over Chesney in the Berbice Cricket Board/Premium Asphalt/TR Construction T20 final on Sunday.
Playing at the Area H Ground, Rose Hall Town Tigers won the toss and inserted Chesney, who raced to 194 for two from their allotted overs. Tigers’ openers returned to share an unbeaten 201-run opening stand.
The partnership stands as the highest for a second-division T20 match in Berbice with former national player, Baldeo rolling back the years with eight sixes and 10 fours as he raced to 116 not out. He was supported by another former national player in Delbert Hicks who played the supporting role with 77 not out. Hicks was particularly brutal on former Guyana player, Imran ‘Corentyne Thunder’ Khan who was struck for three consecutive sixes in a 24-run first over.
Earlier, in Chesney’s innings, their openers also gave them a blistering start with Yogendra Gurdyal carving six sixes and two fours on his way to 99 not out. He shared in an opening stand of 85 alongside Khan who struck two sixes and four fours before falling for 43.
Saif Lalchana chipped in with 25 while Naresh Kissoon scored a four-ball 17 to push the visitors to a respectable total. Leroy Bristol took 1-29 for Tigers.
The tournament started in 2019 but due to the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, the final was pushed back by a year.
BCB President, Hilbert Foster, congratulated the RHT Tigers on winning their first BCB title and urged them to use the win to achieve more success.
The Tigers team was founded in 2015 by several veteran members of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club and has managed to reach several semifinals and finals but was unable to clinch a title until now. Foster also urged the Chesney team to continue working hard as there will be a lot of cricket tournaments coming up.
Special thanks was extended to the management and staff of Premium Asphalt and TR Construction for their support and Foster expressed confidence that the relationship would continue in the future. Foster also urged the teams to invest their championship prizes into obtaining cricket gear for themselves.
He stated that clubs cannot expect the BCB to support them at all times if they do not invest in themselves.
