Beharry U19 T20 tournament… BEI reign supreme after low-scoring contest

The Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) produced a magical display with the ball on Tuesday afternoon at the Enterprise Community Centre Ground, East Coast Demerara (EBD), going on to lift the inaugural championship trophy in the Beharry Group Under-19 Secondary Schools T20 tournament.
The Berbicians were crestfallen after missing out on what was a crucial toss against hosts Annandale Secondary, and subsequently played a gritty innings with the bat to post just 92-7 in their 20 overs.
BEI went above and beyond with the ball, routing their opponents for just 31 in 14 overs to seal a 61-run victory and the championship.
As BEI took first strike in the final, Lemuel Dejonge was out in just the third ball of the innings, giving Annandale some hope. Arush Hemraj looked fluent at intervals, but a lingering injury forced the youngster to retire hurt for a period. At the other end, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, Luke Amsterdam, struggled to get the ball away but protected his wicket with all his might.

Amsterdam hit 14 from 35 deliveries, while Captain Gilbert Griffith pitched in with 10 not too long after. Ryan McPherson’s 11, Ray Ramnauth’s 10 and another unbeaten 10 from Demetrius Reid in the death got BEI up to 92-7 in their 20 overs.
Hemraj had returned to the crease, eventually ending on 24 off 31 deliveries, consisting of two boundaries.
Sanjay Dindyal was the pick of the Annandale bowlers, claiming 2-24 off four overs, while Captain Joshua Bollers, Kevin Singh, and Ruel Dindyal all accounted for one wicket.
The chase appeared manageable for the home team, but they would soon realise that BEI’s bowling attack was a lethal one.
Jermaine Paton was gone in the very first over to Griffith in an unconvincing LBW decision. However, the Berbician bowlers left nothing else to chance, accounting for seven of the remaining wickets by rattling the stumps or the runout route.
The highest score of eight (19 balls) came off Captain Bollers’ bat, with Akeem Persaud (29 balls) also registering a similar score.
Griffith was an absolute menace with the ball, snaring 3-2 from three overs, including two maidens. Dejonge also claimed three wickets for nine runs in three overs. Nicquan Fraser and Ramnauth claimed one scalp each.
With seven extras kindly added to their total, Annadale could only muster a reply of 31 before being routed.
As expected, Griffith was named Player of the Final.
For the tournament’s individual awards, Annandale Secondary’s Ruel Dindyal was both the highest wicket taker with 18 scalps and the most valuable player. BEI’s Luke Amsterdam was the best batter and hit the most fours, while Abram Zuil Secondary’s Marcanthony Obermuller had the most dismissals with the gloves on.
The successful players were rewarded with trophies alongside cash rewards and vouchers on behalf of the title sponsors.
Riding on the success of this year’s inaugural edition, there have already been talks of making the 2027 edition of the competition bigger and better.