GCB National T20 League
The ancient county of Berbice saw the return of cricket yesterday as the Demerara Hawks left it late, beating the Essequibo Anacondas by three wickets off the final ball of the innings at the Rose Hall/Canje Ground.
In search of 134 for victory, the Hawks had to get past a few hurdles, but Damion Vantull emerged as the saviour with a steady 40 off 30 balls when it really mattered.
Support came from Brandon Jaikaran, who added 29, and Captain Shamar Yearwood, who contributed a crucial 23.
The Hawks evaded a scare in the form of Essequibo’s Antony Adams, who stepped up for his side, delivering a superb spell of 3-24, including two late wickets that nearly turned the game in the Anacondas’ favour.
However, Garfield Phillips and Richie Looknauth stayed the course, keeping the Hawks on course to reach their target. The result means the Hawks now are level on points (four) with the Piranhas.
Earlier, Essequibo Anacondas skipper Adams won the toss and elected to bat, with his side eventually stuttering to 133/8 in their 20 overs. The fact that they got to that total was largely thanks to left-hander Ushardeva Balgobin, who held his end even while his teammates were falling cheaply around him.
Balgobin, who opened the batting, was the seventh batsman to be dismissed. He made 42 from 45 balls to anchor the innings, striking four fours along the way. The next best score came from Shahid Vieira, who made 18. Ezekiel Wilson was the pick of the bowlers, returning a miserly 2-13 from his four overs, while four other bowlers captured a wicket each.
The stage is for the final match of round robin play, which will be an all-Berbice affair, with the Berbice Caimans battling the Berbice Piranhas at 1:00pm today at the same venue.
