Berbice thrash Demerara to take GCB Female Inter-county title
…Gajnabi adjudged MVP
The action in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Female Inter-county 50-over tournament continued at the Providence Stadium, where Berbice and Demerara laid it all on the line, to see who would be crowned champions. In the end, it was Shabika Gajnabi and her team-mates who led from the front to take Berbice over the line.
Gajnabi was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Tournament with 173 runs and 5 wickets
Demerara took to the crease as they aimed to post a mammoth total against the mighty Berbicians. The two teams who remained unbeaten in the competition showed that they were not there to play, but to fight hard. Demerara openers Mandy Mangru and Lashana Toussaint shared a 50-run partnership to set the tone; however, when Mangru fell for 30, that was it for the Demerara innings. Wickets began to fall at will as the Berbicians applied pressure; Shanetta Grimmond and Gajnabi bowled a tight line and length to halt the flow of runs. Tousaint then switched to the anchor role as no other player offered her support; in the end she was only able to score 37 off 76 deliveries as Demerara were restricted to 93-9 in 26.2 overs. Bowling figures for Berbice were Grimmond (3-6); Gajnabi (2-21); Plafinna Millington (1-17) and Ashmini Munisar (1-16).
Katana Mentore was the player with the most runs, scoring 198
The rains then came and the game was shortened to a 45-over affair, in which Berbice needed a meagre 93 for victory. Grimmond blasted an 11-ball 22 at the top of the order before being run out and Katana Mentore only scored 19 as she fell victim to Cherry-Ann Fraser. But with Demerara’s total being so small and the score at 76-2, Gajnabi dug deep and produced a brilliant 44 off 34 deliveries to guide her team home. Berbice ended on 93-3 in 12.3 overs.
Shabika Gajnabi hits the winning runs in her unbeaten 44; she also bagged 2-21
At the end of the tournament, Gajnabi was adjudged the Player of the Tournament as she scored 173 runs and bagged five wickets; Heema Singh of Demerara was the leading wicket-taker with seven wickets; and Mentore was the player with the most runs scoring 198. Gajnabi also earned Player of the Match for her 44 and 2-21 in the final.
