GCB/DIGICEL Summer Smash T20 …
… Chattergoon and Ramdeen shine
NATIONAL opener Sewnarine Chattergoon (64*) and Richard Ramdeen (54*) struck half-centuries as Royston Crandon’s Free Weekend recorded a commanding seven-wicket victory over Homchand Pooran’s Free Credit in the Berbice zone of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)-organised Digicel-sponsored Twenty20 tournament yesterday. Winning the toss and opting to bat first on a slow Port Mourant Cricket Club track, Pooran’s Free Credit reached an imposing 142-5 from their 20 overs, after being 70-3 at one stage of their innings.
But they were made to stand and watch as Crandon’s Free Weekend replied with 144-3 from 19 overs, thanks to Chattergoon and Ramdeen who added an authoritative 91 for the first wicket from 10.4 overs.
Off-spinner Steven Latcha was the architect who restricted the scoring of the Free Credit batsmen, as he scalped 2-19 from his four overs of controlled off-spin bowling.
Davendra Thakurdeen (3) and Moshin Peerkhan (6) got things started for Pooran’s team, but by the fourth over they were back in the pavilion thanks to Latcha, who had Thakurdeen stumped by wicketkeeper Jason Sinclair, and Chattergoon who knocked back the stumps of Peerkhan to end with 1-23 from his four overs.
Pooran who struck a run-a-ball 30 that was decorated with three fours and Anthony D’Andrade who also struck a run-a-ball 26 with three fours, added 58 for the third wicket before former national Under-19 fast bowler Keyron Fraser (1-9) bowled the latter.
Keith Fraser tried to bully Free Credit’s way out of the hole they were placed in when he struck Raid Ally over midwicket for a maximum, and along with his two fours, accumulated 23 runs off the 14 deliveries he faced before he was run-out in the 15th over at 102-4.
Pooran followed soon after when he was bowled by Latcha off the first delivery of the 16th over.
Some clean hitting from former Under-19 skipper Anthony Bramble who made an unbeaten 32 with five fours, including back-to-back boundaries in the final over which was bowled by Chattergoon, guided his team to their eventual total.
Chattergoon and Ramdeen gave Free Weekend an explosive start, adding 91 from 11 overs before Ramdeen was caught by Michael Newland on the long-on boundary, but not before he took the sword to Free Credit’s bowlers, in the presence of the chairman of selectors Claude Raphael.
Fast bowler Kelon Henry was struck for three fours in one over by Ramdeen, with one of them being a pugnacious extra cover drive that left the fielders bewildered and forced a ball change at the same time.
Chattergoon refused to be left out of the boundary-scoring action, as he struck Henry for back-to-back boundaries before he was dropped by D’Andrade off Newland at wide midwicket.
Keith Fraser replaced Henry at the Northern End and that change did nothing to the tempo of the openers, as they took 17 runs including four fours from it, forcing Pooran to enter the attack.
Troy Matheison had a miserable day in the field even though he took the wicket of Ramdeen, but not before the batsman had accumulated his runs off 35 deliveries with eight fours and a six.
Raid Ally (4) and Rajiv Ivan (10) did not hang around long enough to offer support to Chattergoon, as Pooran removed them both to end with 2-17 from his four overs and leave Free Weekend on 113-3.
Sherwin Murray entered the fray with 30 needed for victory and at the start of the penultimate over, Free Weekend needed 21 to seal the win and carry home the $50 000 cash prize that came with it.
Chattergoon ensured no harm was done, when he struck Newland for two fours, followed by two sixes over midwicket, with the final one sealing the win for his team with an over to spare, while Murray was with him at the end on 6.
The nationwide tournament will continue tomorrow at the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground, when Georgetown’s Flex Text will oppose East Coast’s Flex Check from 13:30 h under the guidance of Daverteeth Anandjit and Gavin Sookdeo.
The Essequibo zone of the competition will commence on Saturday, with North Essequibo’s Bold opposing South Essequibo’s Storm from 09:30 h and from 13:30 h, Storm will face West Demerara’s Javelin.
On the following day, (Sunday 20th), Javelin will face Bold from 13:30 h at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground in a tournament that is being used as a guideline to select the national team to contest the West Indies Cricket Board T20 tournament next month.