The Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) and Essequibo Islands Secondary were the only teams to maintain a perfect record as the group stage of the National playoffs in the Beharry Group Under-19 Secondary Schools’ T20 Cricket tournament concluded on Thursday.
Dowlin, Lall star in Essequibo Islands triumph
At Pomona Ground on the Essequibo Coast, Essequibo Islands upset an equally dominant Abram Zuil Secondary with a 110-run win to claim top honours in Group A.
The hosts, Abram Zuil, won the toss and opted to bowl first, as the Essequibo Islands piled on the runs to accumulate 167-6 in their 20 overs.
Justin Dowlin was the star with the bat, smashing nine fours and four sixes for a 55-ball 85. Though wickets fell around him, he finally found a good partner in Sudeeni Rodrigues, who struck an unbeaten 37 from 29 balls, including six fours.
Abram Zuil Captain Otis Roberts was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3-41 from his three overs, while Naveed Fredericks picked up 2-21 from four.
Abram Zuil was not up to the task in the chase, eventually being bowled out for 57 in 12.5 overs. Bhomesh Lall snared a five-wicket haul (5-5 from four overs) while Dowlin and Aarav Sukhram took two wickets a piece.
The highest score on Abram Zuil’s cards was an eight, from Ravid Fredericks.
BEI maul Saints
At Queen’s College (QC) Ground in Georgetown, Luke Amsterdam missed out on a century, hitting a blistering 92 off 58 balls (seven fours, three sixes), spurring Berbice Educational Institute to 223-six in their 20 overs, after electing to bat first.
Lemuel Dejonge came good with the bat once again, hitting 62 off 29 balls, comprising nine fours and three sixes. Gilbert Griffith pitched in with 22 off 13 for BEI’s massive total.
Jessie Craig and Noel Nihal claimed two wickets each for St Stanislaus College.
In turn, BEI’s bowlers made a meal out of Saints, restricting them to 20-7 in 12 overs. Brandon Grimmond picked up 2-2. Gilbert Griffith snared 2-10 from four overs, while Nicquan Fraser picked up 2-5 from four.
Craig was the top scorer for Saints, with six from five deliveries.
Annandale whip West Side at home
A home court advantage was not enough for West Side High at the Cotton Tree Ground, as Annandale Secondary made a case for a knockout round spot.
Wining the toss and batting first, Annandale racked up 153-3 in their 20 overs. Ruel Dindyal, a consistent figure for the East Coast side, carried his bat to an unbeaten 62 off 50 balls (three fours, three sixes) while Joshua Bollers backed him up with a run-out ball 39. Akeem Persaud also hit an unbeaten 34 off 23, featuring five boundaries. Romel Danesar and Romel Sukhnandan were the only wicket takers for West Side, with one each.
Kevin Singh and Akeem Persaud stood out with the ball for Annandale, both claiming three wickets. Shawn Ramjit and Dindyal also took two scalps each, as Annadale routed their opponents for 52 in 14.3 overs, securing a 101-run victory.
Opener Ricardo Danesar was the top scorer for West Side, with 17 off 15 deliveries.
Covent Garden sneak past QC
Another last-over thriller saw Covent Garden Secondary register their first win of the group stage with a seven-wicket victory over St Stanislaus College.
QC won the toss and opted to bat first, accumulating 158-5 on the back of a half century from Afraz Ali. Ali struck 57 in 51 deliveries, punctuated by eight boundaries.
Yusuf Ali added 26 from 34, and Emilio Singh 17 from 20, to get QC up to a competitive total. Covent Garden’s bowlers shared the spoils, taking one wicket each.
In the chase, Navindranath Ram (38 off 29) and Jemele Schultz (20 from 12) got Covent Garden off to a solid start, but it was Vinesh Kalpoo’s 31-ball 58-92 fours and six sixes that did the trick for the East Bank team.
In addition to Captain Orwin Jordan’s unbeaten 21 and Joshua Hoasyx’ 12, Covent Garden got over the line in 19.3 overs with seven wickets in hand.
Nathaniel Sukhnandan was the pick of the QC bowlers with 2-27 from four overs.
Based on Thursday’s results, Essequibo Islands, BEI, Abram Zuil, and Annandale Secondary are the teams advancing to the top four playoffs.
Discover more from Guyana Times
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
