… Bess suffers loss
VISITORS D’Edward Sports Club defeated their hosts Blairmont Blazers by 43 runs to take the second annual Blairmont Cricket Club-organised Blairmont Cup at the Blairmont Community Centre ground last Sunday. However, while rain forced the organisers to reduce the two semi-final matches from a T20 to a 10/10 affair and the final a 15-overs-a-side encounter, the simple larceny that occurred to national fast bowler Brandon Bess, dampened the day’s proceedings.
When play in the first semifinal got under way two hours after the scheduled start, D’Edward invited Die Hard Number Two to take first strike and limited them to 62 for 6 from their 10 overs. Pooran Persaud who made an unbeaten 27 and Jagdeo Persaud 17 (3×4) were the only batsmen to reach double figures.
Navin Rampersaud, who saw Jagdeo Persaud being given a life at deep midwicket by Chandrika Hemnarine, removed the batsman with his next delivery to end with 2 for 20, ensuring Die Hard Number Two slipped from 22 without loss to their eventual total.
Berbice Under-17 left-handed batsman Deryck Narine (39) added 56 for the first wicket with Lakeraj Sookra (14) from six overs, as D’Edward reached 64 for 2 from 8 overs to complete a comfortable win.
Narine struck Afzal Haroon for a big six over midwicket, followed by two fours in an over that cost Die Hard Number Two 18 runs, before both openers were dismissed by Pooran Persaud (2 for 19), following which Keith Fraser 8* (2×4) struck the said bowler for back-to-back fours, to complete the win.
In the second semifinal, Blairmont Blazers disposed of United Warriors, a team that comprised past and future players of the host club, by seven wickets, having bowled their opponents out for 56 and replied with 61 for 3 from 7.2 overs.
Abdool Subhan struck one six and a four in his topscore of 17 while R. Anthony made 10 for United Warriors who lost five of their batsmen to the run-out route, before Devendra Lalsa struck two fours and one six in his 24 and Deveshwari Prashad 18 (1×6, 1×4), piloted Blairmont Blazers to their winning total.
In the final, the eventual winners batted first and made 137 for 6 from their 15 overs, thanks to Eion Abel who was later declared the man-of-the-match and player-of-the-tournament with the top score of 42 which was decorated with three fours and two sixes.
He received support from Fraser who struck two massive sixes in his 26, as they added 60 for the third wicket while Jaipaul Heeralall 17 (3×4) and Mahadeo Persaud 15 offered support to the two frontrunners.
Devendra Lalsa took 2 for 35 for Blairmont Blazers who struggled to 94 for 9 scored off 14.3 overs, with Omesh Mangal hitting four fours in his 28, Romain Boodram 18 which included two sixes off the first two deliveries of his team’s innings, Karamdat Bissoondyal 11 and Prashad 10.
Rampersaud took 3 for 14 while Fraser who was struck for a six by Bissoondyal and Prashad in the same over, ended with 2 for 33, as their team took away the $50 000 and Universal DVD Club’s trophy for their top place finishing.
Bess opted not to bat in his team’s innings, since he was conducting investigations surrounding his loss which occurred while he was patrolling the boundary area and saving valuable runs for his team, during D’Edward’s innings.
At the simple presentation ceremony that followed, Narine and Lalsa were named players of the match for the first two semifinals, while Rampersaud took home the Most Wickets trophy and Prashad the Play-of-the-Day trophy for his magnificent fielding off his own bowling that resulted in the run-out of Fraser in the final.
Organiser Shabeer Baksh thanked the teams and sponsors Universal DVD Club, Sterling Products Limited, Banks DIH and Baksh Travel Service among others, for their tangible support while the children who were in attendance received free toys and ice cream.