A brilliant all-round performance by Vice Captain Khemraj Bharrat spearheaded defending champions Rose Hall Town (RHT) Poonai Pharmacy’s Under-13 team to their fourth title in six years on Saturday. They defeated arch-rivals Albion Community Centre by ten runs in a thrilling 30-over final at the Area H Ground in Rose Hall Town.
Batting first after winning the toss in blistering heat before a sizeable crowd, RHTPP lost early wickets. Openers Royston Crandon and Dishawn Lacruz added 11 for the first wicket before Crandon was bowled by left-arm spinner Aaryan Ali for 2 in the fifth over. Akeam Fraser soon followed, trapped LBW by Ali for 2, leaving the hosts struggling at 18 for 2. Responsible batting from Lacruz (20), Justin Hick (12), skipper Janpat Ganpat (13), Bharrat (15), Vinesh Singh (14), and an unbeaten 14 from Randy Williams steadied the innings. Rose Hall Town eventually posted a defendable 130 for eight from their allotted 30 overs.
For Albion, Nichel Khempaddoo claimed 4 for 32, while Ali took 2 for 29. Daniel Johnson (1 for 16) and Sahid Gajnabi (1 for 13) also bowled well.
Chasing 131 for their maiden Under-13 title, Albion suffered an early blow when opener Timothy Ramsaywack was run out without scoring in the first over after a terrible mix-up with partner Nicholas Madramootoo. Skipper Gajnabi and Madramootoo then added 49 in 13 overs, though both survived several close chances. Their resistance ended when Gajnabi was trapped LBW by Bharrat for 27, which included three delightful boundaries. Bharrat struck again shortly after, removing Madramootoo for a patient 10 off 30 balls as the home side’s bowlers tightened their grip on the contest.
Despite late efforts from Nars Lachigadu (11), Yuraj Goberdhan (14), and Ali (10*), Albion were restricted to 120 for eight from their 30 overs, falling ten runs short. Bharrat was outstanding, finishing with 4 for 17 from six overs. Fraser (1 for 13) and Lacruz (1 for 8) also chipped in, while skipper Ganpat’s six overs of left-arm spin cost just ten runs, further stifling the visitors.
BCB Competition Chairman Leslie Solomon congratulated the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club for winning the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) U13 title, for the fourth time in six years. Solomon hailed the club’s investment in its youth development programme and urged other clubs to emulate the example. The former Berbice youth player expressed gratitude to the management and staff of the Singh Brothers Construction Company for their support of Berbice Cricket.
Meanwhile, sponsor Poonai Bhigroog lauded his team’s outstanding performance and announced the renewal of Poonai Pharmacy’s sponsorship for another year. Over the last six years, the team has won the title four times and finished as runners-up twice. The programme has also produced several national players, including Raffel McKenzie, Trisha Hardat, Tameshwar Deochand, and Leon Reddy.
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