Essequibo Islands, St Stanislaus record wins in Beharry U19 Schools T20

Essequibo Islands Secondary and St Stanislaus College recorded victories on Saturday as the Beharry Group of Companies U19 Schools T20 competition continued, with matches following the official opening ceremony at the Uitvlugt Ground, West Coast Demerara (WCD).
The tournament had already bowled off last weekend in Essequibo, but Saturday’s ceremony formally opened the competition. Nicholas Fraser of the Ministry of Education’s Allied Arts Unit, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry’s Pernell Cummings, Sterling Products Marketing Manager Dellon Lynch and zone coordinator Azizi Christiani all delivered remarks of encouragement and inspiration to the young cricketers before play continued.

In the Zone Two (Region Three and Seven) semi-final, Essequibo Islands Secondary produced a dominant performance to defeat Tuschen Secondary by 179 runs.
Sent in to bat after Tuschen won the toss and chose to bowl, Essequibo Islands posted a commanding 211-5 from their 20 overs. Navendra Persaud led the innings with an unbeaten 52 from 57 balls before retiring hurt, hitting five fours and one six. He received strong support from Aarav Sukhram, who made 44 from 32 balls, including four fours and two sixes.
Dennis Crossman added a quick unbeaten 14 from eight balls late in the innings, while Essequibo Islands also benefited heavily from 81 extras, including 62 wides and 18 no-balls.
For Tuschen, Marraseh Fredrics was the pick of the bowlers with 2-27 from four overs, while Jumol Morris took 2-29, and Daniel Ramdeo claimed 1-35.
Tuschen’s chase never gained momentum as they were dismissed for 32 in 10.3 overs. Rick Baldinvick top-scored with seven, while Fredrics made six. Extras contributed 15 to the total.

Essequibo Islands were sharp with the ball, with Demarcus Thomas taking 3-6 from three overs and Fayed Baksh claiming 3-4 from two overs. Sukhram completed a strong all-round outing with 2-12, while Justin Dowlin finished with 2-4 from just three deliveries.
In the other match, St Stanislaus College defeated New Central High by four wickets in a Zone Four (South Georgetown) fixture.
New Central High, after being sent in to bat, reached 89-9 from 13.2 overs. Peter Khan was the main contributor with 34 from 42 balls, striking six fours, while Lateef Moffat added nine. Extras again played a major role, with New Central receiving 45.
Noel Nihal was outstanding with the ball for St Stanislaus, finishing with 4-4 from three overs. Jessie Craig also made an impact, taking 2-0 from two deliveries, while Aaron Persaud and Ishan Haricharan picked up one wicket each.
In reply, St Stanislaus reached 93-6 in 16 overs. Haricharan anchored the chase with an unbeaten 40 from 45 balls, hitting three fours. Antonio Forde supported with 16 from 21 balls, while Nihal returned to help finish the match unbeaten on five.
New Central High fought back primarily through Brandon Brown, who took 3-20 from four overs.
However, Haricharan’s steady innings guided St Stanislaus through the chase and sealed a four-wicket victory.
The competition continues over the coming weeks with action slated for the various zones across the country.