Bishun helps Pitbulls humiliate Young Conquerors
LEFT-HAND back-of-the-arm spinner Totaram Bishun snared 6 for 16 as the Gizmos and Gadgets Georgetown Pitbulls humiliated the Noble House Seafoods-sponsored Young Conquerors by 79 runs in their Guyana Cricket Board-organised, Carib Beer/Pepsi-sponsored Super 8 T20 replayed fixture at the Everest Cricket Club ground yesterday.
Winning the toss and asking their opponents to take first strike, the Young Conquerors reduced their opponents to 48 for 5, before Dion Ferrier who top-scored with 35, Wasim Haslim and  Troy Gonsalves steered the Pitbulls to 143 for 7.
Shawn Pereira and Joshua Wade took two wickets each for 17 and 20 runs respectively for the Young Conquerors who crumbled in an unpredictable fashion to the bowling of Bishun for a meagre 64 from 10 overs.
Travis Blyden (15), Robin Bacchus (14) and Andre Stoll 11 were the lone batsmen to reach double figures for the Young Conquerors, who seemed to be in the midst of a raging storm against a rampaging Bishun who got support from national T20 off-spinner Steven Jacobs who took 2 for 19.
When the Pitbulls batted, they lost the wickets of Trevon Griffith (16), Rajendra Chandrika (13), Shemroy Barrington (1), skipper Christopher Barnwell (8) and Jacobs (0), as the Young Conquerors’ bowling lineup maintained a tight line and length over their more illustrious opponents.
Haslim, who struck three sixes and one four in his 17-ball 32, and Gonsalves who took 13 deliveries for his 20 that was decorated with one six restored some order to the innings by adding 32 for the sixth wicket, before Ferrier took the attack to Stoll in the final over which cost 20 runs and included two sixes, that took his team to a safe total.
When the Young Conquerors batted, they struggled against the pace/spin combination of Jacobs and Kellon Carmichael, before Bishun stepped in to call a halt to the proceedings, by troubling all the batsmen with his bowling.
Both Bacchus and Stoll struck two fours in their innings while Blyden struck one, but that aside, it was an uphill task for the Under-23 side, as their batsmen executed the back and forth drill from the pavilion at regular intervals.
The semifinals will be contested on Friday at the Albion Community Centre ground, with the first match bowling off at 09:00hrs between the West Berbice Super Kings and Gizmos and Gadgets Georgetown Pitbulls.
The second encounter will pit the mighty Corentyne Titans, who can be described as the local T20 champions, against the President’s XI from 13:30hrs, with the winners meeting in the finals at the same venue under lights on Saturday,  December 3.