Residents of Fyrish and surrounding villages came out in their numbers last Sunday as the village hosted its first-ever Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) final.
The entire ground was packed to capacity despite the fact that the visiting Rose Hall Town (RHT) Bakewell team easily defeated the home team Fyrish Cricket Club by 95 runs.
Man of the Final Kevlon Anderson receives his award from Magic Moments’ Ganga Persaud
That final was the third zone finals to be organised by the Board, following Upper Corentyne and New Amsterdam/Canje.
Fyrish Cricket Club won the toss and to the surprise of RHT, elected to field first. RHT opening pair Kevin and Junior Sinclair started aggressively as they tore into the Fyrish bowling attack.
The pair added 50 runs in just 4.3 overs while the 100 mark was reached in the ninth over. Kevin, a National Under-19 player, was first to be dismissed, bowled by Yogindra Chinapen for 60 off 27 balls at 104 in the 10th over.
His opening partner and fellow national player was then run-out for 40 after he and Surendra Kissoonlall found themselves in the same crease.
Promising National Junior Player Kevlon Anderson and Kissoonlall then batted well to add 100 in eight overs. Anderson struck a polished 57 with eight boundaries and three huge sixes. The elegant Kissoonlall struck five sweetly-timed boundaries and two huge sixes to support Anderson, after he struggled to get the ball off the square early in his innings.
Keith Simpson (05) and Jonathan Rampersaud (02) were not out at the crease when the overs expired as RHT ended on 218 for four.
Avenash Rengasmi with 3-41 and Chinapen were the successful bowlers for Fyrish.
Needing to score 219 from 20 overs to clinch the Lower Corentyne title in front of their adoring home fans, Fyrish raced to 34 without loss in three overs before medium pacer Anderson bowled Chinapen (14) and then had Younghan Gurdayal (08) caught by Mahendra Gopilall to leave Fyrish at 40 for 2.
Former national youth player Javed Mohamed then tore into off-spinner Kevin, as he took 21 runs from the 8th and together with Aushramanie Shrikissoon added 40 for the third wicket in just 3.2 overs before they both fell to leave Fyrish in trouble.
Mohamed was caught at deep cover by Gopilall, trying to hit Sinclair for another six while Shrikissoon was caught off Junior Sinclair for 28.
No other Fyrish batsman reached double figures as Anderson ended with 2-30, Sylus Tyndall had 2-31, Junior Sinclair 3-10 and Keith Simpson claimed 2-8 as Fyrish crumbled to 123 in the 17th over.
The tournament was sponsored by Sueria Manufacturing Inc under its popular Magic Moments brand.
BCB President Hilbert Foster hailed the Fyrish Village and the Cricket Club for being wonderful hosts and committed the Board to organising matches of such calibre at non-traditional venues across Berbice in an effort to promote cricket.
He urged the defeated finalist to be proud of themselves and to use the experience of being in a final as inspiration to become greater. Foster also hailed the support of Frank Sanichara, CEO of Sueria Manufacturing Inc.
The Magic Moments 20/20 tournament includes zone finals in Upper Corentyne, West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje and Lower Corentyne. To date, No 48 Challengers have won the Upper Corentyne title, Young Warriors Cricket Club defeated Rose Hall Canje to clinch the New Amsterdam/Canje league while the final of the West Berbice Zone will be played shortly.
The winning team, runners-up and Man of the Final, Anderson, received prizes and trophies from the Board.
Up next for the Board is the final of the 2018 Elizabeth Styles Under-21 Tournament which is scheduled for Saturday, September 29 at the Port Mourant Cricket Ground. The match will see arch-rivals Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets and Blairmont Community Centre battle.
