Achievers Cricket Club defeat Blairmont Blazers by 5 wickets

Final of the BCB/Brian Ramphal West Berbice Under-19 tournament

– led by Collis Noble’s brilliant 90*

The Blairmont Blazers cricket club, which had, over the last decade, dominated junior cricket in the West Berbice/ Region 5 area, was last Saturday victim of a 5-wicket defeat administered at the hands of the Achievers Cricket Club in the final match of the BCB/Brian Ramphal West Berbice Under-19 tournament, thanks to a brilliant innings by Berbice junior player Collis Noble.

The winning Achievers Cricket Club

With this final match being played at the Cotton Tree Ground, Blairmont Blazers won the toss and elected to bat, amassing 199 all out in 45.4 of their allotted 50 overs. They were aided by an indifferent performance from the Achievers, who gifted away 50 extra runs.
Despite the extras, the Blairmont team found runs difficult to come by, with only Raashad Gafoor ‘looking solid’, the elegant opener stroking 6 boundaries on his way to 57 before being bowled by off-spinner Shemar Hailey.
Farouk Subhan (18), Shreenauth Ramnarine (13) and Anthony Sukhra (15) were the other Blazers batsmen to reach double figures.

Man of the Finals, Collis Noble

Bowling for the Achievers, off-spinners Omari Arthur and Shelton Ramsay each claimed two wickets, for 31 and 37 runs respectively.
In reply, Achievers lost Odel Miller for a duck in the second over, but Collis Noble, with assistance from Tulsieram Ramcharran, registered 40 for the second wicket to put Achievers on course for this upset victory. Noble paced his innings well, starting slowly but ‘opening his arms’ as he grew in confidence.
The right hander was fortunate to be dropped when on 67, but was instrumental in an unbroken 96-run stand with Omari Arthur, who made 29, with 3 sixes and 1 four. Arthur, who was dropped on nought and 14, plundered the inexperienced Blairmont attack. Nickel Fraser supported with an aggressive 24, which included 3 boundaries and a massive six.
The Blazers’ Raashad Gafoor returned with the ball to take 2 for 21 from 8 overs, while his Skipper Marvon Prashad took 2 for 48 from 9 overs.
BCB President Hilbert disclosed that the tournament was historic as it was the first time that the board was arranging an under-19 tournament for teams in the West Berbice sub-association.
He hailed the performances of both teams, and noted that he was very impressed with the talents on display, which he said could make Berbice very proud in the future.
Further, Foster praised overseas-based Guyanese Brian Ramphal for his sponsorship of the tournament, and thanked the President of the West Berbice Cricket Assn (WBCA), David Black, for organising this successful tournament.
The West Berbice Under-19 tournament is the first of four that would be organised at the Zone level before the start of a countywide tournament.