A man- of- the- match performance from Shafeek Ishmael ensured Transport Sports Club (TSC) obtained sole ownership of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/ Cummings Electrical/P&P Insurance sponsored Raymond Panday Memorial second division competition, when they recorded an eight wicket victory over Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) yesterday.

Ishmael took 7-60 with the ball to compliment his resilient 88 in TSC’s first innings and along with Marc Nicholson’s fine innings of 51 and 29*, skipper Shawn Massiah 47 and Azim Azeez’s match figures of 6-28, ensured TSC maintain their stranglehold on their opponents throughout the match.

Scores in the match, DCC 123 and 173, TSC 256 and 42-2.

Despite suffering an outright defeat, the Queenstown based DCC who entered the match as strong favourites, had a few bright sparks of their own to cheer about, which included the bowling of Kevin George who took 4-32, before returning to blaze a 64 ball 79 (5×4; 3×6).

TSC resumed the final day on 235-8 and were bowled out for 256, which took their lead to 133, with George receiving support from Edward Burnett, Matthew Marques and Lyndon Lyght who took two wickets apiece for 18, 38 and 72 runs respectively.

Batting a second time, George who failed to score in the first innings, gave his team a rampant start when he sent the veteran Clyde Hoyte over long off for a maximum, with the ball finding a resting place in the back yard of former Guyana and West Indies all rounder Roger Harper.

But wickets fell steadily around him, as left arm medium fast bowler Ryan Jones (2-31) helped kept things in check for TSC.

Gladwin Brandis offered support to George who was later caught by Massiah at long on off Ishmael, with a steady 27 which was decorated with three maximums, while Marques struck two fours in his 21 and Kester Hardcourt contributed 12.

Azeez’s 3-25 along with Ishmael’s 3-34 and Jones’ returns, were enough to help TSC dismiss the home team for 173 in their second innings in slightly overcast conditions, leaving their team to get 41 runs to complete the outright victory.

They (TSC) got off to a bad start, when opener Rawle Enmore got a top edge pull to mid on off Horatio (2-27) who was extracting lots of pace and bounce out of the wicket, but was surprisingly not used in the first innings by Lyght, a move that was costly to the eventual runners-up.

S. Sampson got a short ball from Horatio but he could not handle same, picking out Gonsalves at backward square, but the target was a small one as Nicholson proved same to be, with three fours off successive Horatio deliveries, which was preceded by a top edge six to third man in his unbeaten 29, as TSC reached 49-2 to complete the win.

At the simple presentation ceremony which followed, president of the GCA Alfred Mentore congratulated both teams on reaching the final, but offered extended congratulations to TSC for displaying a high standard of cricket on their way to claiming the title.

“The highlights of their performance came from Ishmael who was complimented by Nicholson, Azeez and Massiah, who unfortunately is the GCA’s Competitions Committee chairman, while on the other side of the coin, DCC had sterling contributions from George, Brandis and Horatio, whose sporadic efforts were a little late in the match, as TSC played this game as true champions.

I must extend gratitude to the sponsors for sticking with us over the past two years. They have been unshakeable with regards to our quest for sponsorship of this tournament and I wish to congratulate them, as we at the GCA look forward to continue our partnership with them in the future” said Mentore.

Former president of the GCA and managing director of P&P Insurance Bish Panday, congratulated the GCA for the professional way in which the competition was handled and challenged them to have a full menu of cricket this year, from Under-15 right up to first division, inclusive of an Over-40 competition.

Apart from the distribution of the man of the match, runner-up and winner’s trophy, monetary awards were issued to Ace Warriors’ Abzal Gafoor (most wickets and best all rounder) and Melroy Stephenson (most runs), with both players receiving honourable mention from vice president of the GCA and former national middle order batsman Neil Barry, while secretary of the GCA Shalim Baksh stated that 13 tons of which Massiah scored two and eight 10 wicket hauls were recorded during the tournament.