-Chanderpaul named MVP
HAVING won the League category of the Brainstreet competition earlier this month, Demerara Cricket Club’s (DCC) ‘A’ team completed the double when they took home the Cup, following their six- wicket victory over Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) when the curtains came down on the Georgetown Cricket Association organised Brainstreet Under-15 tournament at the Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO) ground yesterday. GYO’s and national Under-15 opening batsman Tagenarine Chanderpaul was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), having aggregated 818 runs at an average of 116.85 runs and a top score of 200* made against Transport Sports Club, while he took eight wickets and held two catches.
But it was the batting of national Under-15 wicketkeeper/batsman Khemraj Rupee who along with Clitus Johnson, that enabled DCC ‘A’ to take home the limited overs cup from their Thomas Lands based opponents.
MSC took first strike and were bowled out for 129 scored off 39.2 of their allotted 50 overs, with extras top scoring with 31.
Rockel Reddy was the highest contributor with the bat, hitting three fours in his 20 as he added 37 for the first wicket with Ibrahim Khan who along with Inceford Charles, contributed 18 runs each to their team’s total while Dale Mendonca made 13.
Tevin Imloch was the thorn in MSC’s batting, picking up 4 for 22 with his medium pacers, a feat that landed him the man of the match award at the presentation ceremony which followed and received support from Kwesi Lewis who took 2 for 25.
When DCC batted, they lost Imloch who was sent back to the pavilion without scoring, amongst their first four batsmen to be 55 for 4 after 18 overs of their innings, but Rupee who struck two fours and the same number of sixes in his unbeaten 47 and Johnson who had six fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 40, saw their team home, adding 77 in their unbroken fifth wicket partnership.
Charles returned to take 2 for 10 from his 10 overs of off spin which was bowled with the new ball, but it was not enough to prevent the Queenstown based team from completing the double.
At the presentation ceremony that followed, president of the GCA and former Guyana and West Indies all rounder Roger Harper congratulated both sides for giving the small amount of spectators a wonderful and exciting game.
Harper was also high in praise for the sponsors, whom he said give the GCA member clubs an opportunity to showcase their young players in the tournament and hoped that the partnership which is in its inaugural year, continues next year and many years to come.
Like Harper, Brainstreet’s Administrative Officer Collette Jordan congratulated both teams for the exciting game and urged the young players to aim high saying, ‘If you aim high, when you fall you will not hit the bottom immediately, but rather land in the middle.’
DCC ‘A’ topped the League category with 138 points while GYO, MSC and DCC ‘B’ rounded off the other top four positions with 124, 108 and 105 points respectively, with the top two finishers receiving trophies and medals.
Individual prizes for the league competition were distributed as follows, Oswyn Blair of Queens College (Best Bowling 5-10), Chanderpaul (Best Batting 200*), Steven Sankar (Most wickets 24) and Chanderpaul Most Runs and MVP.
MSC’s wicketkeeper Tevin Campbell who migrated to the USA was named Most Outstanding Fielder for his 11 dismissals while in the Cup final, Rupee was named Best Batsman while Imloch received prizes after being adjudged Best Bowler, Fielder and the Man of the Match.