The finale of the Georgetown Cricket Association’s Noble House Seafoods Next Generation Under-19 tournament saw the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) defeating the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) by 22 runs to claim the title after a riveting showdown.
With a hard pitch and complementary sunny conditions, DCC elected to bat with the aim of maximising opportunities afforded by the given conditions. The opening pair of Tameshwar Permaul and Garick Persaud looked comfortable for the first nine runs scored, until Shadrack Bacon struck to remove Permaul for 3.
Persaud was unable to stick around, and fell 25 runs later to Aryan Persaud, to leave DCC at 34-2.
DCC celebrating their tournament triumph
In came Sachin Singh and Alphius Bookie, who produced a 15-run partnership. But to DCC’s dismay, Persaud removed Bookie for 7, then Singh followed three runs later to Darrious Andrews for 18.
Already in trouble at 52-4, the DCC score then moved to 62-5, the decision to bat looking to be the worst mistake DCC ever made. To compound their misery, Nkosi Beaton was removed by Andrews for a paltry 4 runs.
Needing a partnership to rebuild their innings, DCC’s Ashmead Nedd and Daniel Mootoo combined to add 21 runs to the score, despite Nedd falling to Yohance Angoy for 12. Mootoo and Qumar Torrington then added 24 as the DCC score entered triple figures, but wickets continued falling.
Mootoo was dismissed by Thaddeus Lovell for 14, to take the score to 107-7. However, Torrington rallied on to take the score to 123-9, despite Osafo Green and Maneiram Singh falling. Torrington then produced a 24-run partnership with tail-ender Dequan Bamfield to give DCC a total of 147 all out.
GCC’s Persaud had figures of 2 for 23, while a wicket each was taken by Bacon, Andrews, Dindyal, Angoy, Jodah and Lovell.
Needing a simple target of 148 off 50 overs, openers Lovell and Anasuegga Rodrigues played a smart innings to take GCC past the 50-run mark. However, Rodrigues fell for 16 off the bowling of Singh, as the score read 60-1. From there, Lovell and Dindyal took over.
Eventually, a ball clipped the neck of the bat to remove Lovell for a patient 27 off the bowling of Mootoo.
Ashmead Nedd
Throughout the game, Nedd tormented the GCC batsmen, and struck twice in the same over to remove Rivaldo Phillips (7) and Zachary Jodah (0), to take the score to 88-4.
It was now up to Dindyal and Persaud to take GCC over the line with 23 overs left to score only 59 runs for victory; but Nedd struck again in his 9th over, bowling Persaud off the last ball to take the tally to 88-5 and leave the GCC dressing room on the edge of their seats.
A dramatic turn in the match saw Mootoo removing Dindyal for 21, to take the GCC score to 92-6. DCC were now potentially on the verge of one of the greatest comebacks in local cricketing history. After Mootoo bagged a wicket in the previous over, Nedd returned in his final over to claim a five- wicket haul as he removed Rahul Singh and Yohance Angoy.
GCC were now slumped to 92-8, and struggled to chase the remaining 49 runs with 16 overs remaining. They managed to take the total to 115 before Bacon fell for 6.
Andrews and Pollard were now left with the momentous task of scoring 32 from 8 overs.
GCC eventually ended on 126 all out. Nedd finished with 5 for 13, while Mootoo and Sachin Singh both grabbed two wickets each.
