LEFT- HANDED Shurfane Rutherford missed scoring the lone ton of this year’s Guyana Cricket Board Under-17 tournament, but Demerara still managed to walk away with the title, courtesy of their 139 runs victory over Berbice at the Everest Cricket Club ground yesterday.Asked to bat first in the rain reduced encounter, Demerara on the back of Rutherford’s 94 (78balls, 6×4, 3×6), 38 from Raymond Perez and 33 from Renaldo Renee, posted 253 for 8 off their 40 overs, despite Brandon Prashad picking up 4 for 49 and Deon Sinclair 2 for 34 for Berbice.
In reply, the Ancient County side was limited to 114 for 5, as Richie Looknauth went on a rampage with the ball, claiming their first three batsmen including the dangerous Retash Umroa (18, 2×4), on his way to ending with 3 for 18 off eight overs of off spin with the new ball.
Earlier in the day, Perez and Renee posted 76 for the first wicket, with the former driving Nicholas Seenarine down the ground for two fours in his fourth over, while Renee also scored a boundary off the same bowler, as they posted the 50 from 7.4 overs, with Perez on 25 and Renee 12.
In his bid to hit Suraj Dookna over extra cover, Perez picked out Adrian Sukhwah in that same position, after hitting four fours from the 41 balls he faced and he was followed by Renee, who was given a life by Sukhwah at 81 for 1 in the 14th over off Dookna, before he was caught by Randy Wade off Asif Ally at 97 for 2.
Ramnarine Chatura joined Rutherford, who strolled to the wicket at the demise of Perez and pushed the score to 130, before he was caught by Matthew Hardyal off Prashad for 15.
Despite the loss of wickets, Rutherford soldiered on and posted his 50 from 56 balls with five fours, following which he struck Deon Sinclair over long on for his first six to push the score to 173 for 3 in the 32nd over.
He raised Demerara’s 200 with another six over long on, this time off Dookna, while pushing his personal score to 81, but the introduction of the final power play that came into effect at the start of the 36th over, saw a collapse for the home team’s batting.
From 218 for 3 at the start of the final four overs, Demerara ended on 253 for 8, losing the wickets of Travis Persaud (04), Ronaldo Ali-Mohammed (04), Rutherford, Malcolm Hubbard (00) and Timothy McAlmont (00), as Prashad and Deon Sinclair tightened the reins for Berbice.
In their reply, Umroa and Sukhwah (17) added 33 for the first wicket, before they were both sent back by Looknauth, who also removed Kevin Sinclair (06) to leave Berbice on 66 for 3, which became 67 for 4 when Wade was brilliantly caught by Ali-Mohammed at slip without scoring off Hubbard (1 for 17).
Prashad played a captain’s innings, hitting three fours in his topscore of 34 (65balls) for his side, but painstakingly at the other end, Hardyal soaked up 58 balls for his unbeaten 11, while he had Seenarine with him on 1, when the overs expired, handing Demerara the massive win and title.
Meanwhile, at the brief presentation ceremony President of the Demerara Cricket Board and Marketing Manager of the GCB Raj Singh, said he was disappointed by the batting display of the Berbicians, while congratulating the victors.
Junior Chairman of Selectors Nazimul Drepaul announced a 27 man squad which will compete in a two day trial to be held at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, from which the national team would be selected to compete in the Regional Under-17 tournament.
Players from Berbice and Essequibo, who are shortlisted in the squad listed below, are asked to be at the Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence where they will be hosted on Monday, while they are reminded that the Regional tournament will be held early next month.
The squad reads: Renaldo Renee, Raymond Perez, Adrian Sukhwa, Travis Persaud, Brandon Prashad, Richie Looknauth, Akini Adams, Deon Sinclair, Ershad Alli, Malcolm Hubbard, Kelvin Sewpersaud, Ramnarine Chatura, Timothy McAlmont, Sylus Tyndall, Kevin Martinborough, Ronaldo Ali-Mohammed, Kemo Paul, Retash Umroa, Nathan Persaud, Shurfane Rutherford, Matthew Hardyal, Malcolm Hubbard, Vivekanand Jagjit, Daniel Samaroo, Joel Seetaram, Ewart Samuels and Samuel McKenzie.
Written By Calvin Roberts