GCB U-19 Inter-county: Ramnauth and Thorne destroy Select XI as Berbice claim title

By Brandon Corlette at Enmore

Berbice continued to reign supreme at the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-county Under-19 50-over tournament.
Led by the destructive West Indies Under-19 duo of Rampertab Ramnauth and Isai Thorne, Berbice were crowned champions after they registered a 117-run win at Enmore.

In the third-round match, sponsored by the Government of Guyana, Ramnauth’s classy 90 from 79 balls and Thorne’s dominant unbeaten 73 from 29 balls propelled Berbice to 208-3 in 26 overs. In reply, GCB Select XI managed only 91-6 in their 26 overs. Marlon Ramsurack made 24 while Nityanand Mathura scored 20.
Berbice bowlers shared the wickets with Ayiude Rogers, Salim Khan, Leon Cecil, and Jonathan Rampersaud claiming one wicket each, while Zeynul Ramsammy was sharp in the field with two direct hits, resulting in run-outs.
Earlier, Berbice won the toss and opted to bat first. Owing to constant rain, the match was reduced to 26 overs. Openers Tomani Caesar and Ramnauth added 49 runs for the opening stand. Caesar looked tentative in his strokeplay, and he eventually top-edged one and was caught for 12. Ramnauth continued to dominate, and he and Mahenda Gopilall (09) added 39 runs for the second wicket.
At 88-2, Thorne joined his vice-Captain, Ramnauth, and the duo destroyed the GCB Select XI, adding 93 runs for the third wicket. Ramnauth was eyeing a century, but with nine balls remaining in the innings, he swept one to mid-wicket and was caught. The dashing left-hander stroked nine fours and two sixes in his classy 90.

Thorne was destructive in his unbeaten 73, as he capitalised on the dropped chances. He slammed six maximums and five fours. The powerful man from Rose Hall Canje Community Centre Cricket Club was a nightmare for the GCB Select XI, and he left the Enmore spectators in awe.
Berbice ended on 208-3 when 26 overs expired.

Meanwhile, in the other match, Demerara steamrolled Essequibo by nine wickets at Everest Cricket Club. Batting first, Essequibo posted 47 all out in 18.3 overs. All of the Essequibo batsmen failed to reach double figures, and their high score was eight by Mohandass Surujpaul. Right-arm seamer Rivaldo Phillips picked up 5-7 in five overs while off-spinner Krisna Singh had 3-6 in 4.3 overs.
In reply, Demerara reached 48-1 in 10.5 overs. Lawrence Pellew made 20 while Jaden Campbelle scored 17 not out in a winning effort. Joash Charles was the wicket-taker for Essequibo with 1-31 in five overs. The three-day aspect of the tournament will commence on Tuesday.