The lads from the Cinderella County of Essequibo defeated their Berbician counterparts by three wickets yesterday at the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) La Bonne Intention Facility to retain the U-13 Inter-County 40-over title for the second successive year.
Led by a 5-fer from Arif Singh and half centuries by Ravid and Usain Fredericks, the Essequibians successfully defended their title with a gritty performance.
After winning the toss, the Essequibo lads elected to bowl, and Singh’s 5-25 (7 overs) led their charge in bowling out the opposition for 154 in 39 overs.
In fact, the total would have been much lower had the Essequibians not leaked 58 runs in extras. The top scorer, extras aside, was Luke Amsterdam with 39 runs. Meanwhile, Singh was well supported by Fayad Baksh with 2-34.
In response, Essequibo chased down the target in 25 overs with three wickets to spare to spark jubilant celebrations.
Opener Ravid stroked a brilliant 73, which included 7 fours to set the foundation for the win; however, the support was limited as Berbice attempted to stage a comeback, but an invaluable middle-order knock of 52 from Usain Fredericks helped to close out the victory.
Leon Reddy, Kumar Joseph, and Jaden Ganpat almost turned the game around for Berbice with two wickets apiece, but in the end the champions showed heart to see the victory out.
