DESPITE a belligerent half- century from Ron Andrews, who was dismissed off the final ball of the contest, host club Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) defeated the visiting Atlantis Cricket Club by five runs in a thrilling encounter to take the Andrew Lyght Snr Memorial trophy on their home ground yesterday. Scores in the match were DCC 114 for 8 off 13 overs, Atlantis 109 for 4 off 13 overs.
Asked to take first strike on another soft batting track and soggy outfield, the home team who is currently celebrating their 100th anniversary, were coasting along at 37 without loss in the fourth over, before disaster in Atlantis’ skipper Prashant Nair struck.
Both openers in Christopher Barnwell who made 11 (1×6) and was later declared the Man of the Series- and the pugnacious Andrew Lyght Jnr. (29, 4×6), followed by Derwin Christian (00), Cohen Ismond (00), Omesh Dhanram (01) and Jamal Hinckson (01), were sent packing to the cool comforts of the pavilion.
Nair who took 3 for 40, Alex Amsterdam and Casper Davis who took two wickets each, left DCC precariously placed on 52 for 6 in the eighth over, before man of the match in the finals Paul Wintz 39 (5×6) and Carlisle Barton 10 (1×6) brought some respectability to the total with their 33 runs seventh wicket partnership.
Wintz showed no mercy to the visitor’s bowling, hitting a hattrick of sixes off the bowling of Nair in the penultimate over of his team’s innings, realizing the 100 with the third six, while both Davis and Amsterdam were struck for maximums by the seventh wicket pair.
When Atlantis batted, they too were rocked by Barnwell who removed Henderson Blades (01) and Amsterdam (00) to be 30 for 3, but Andrews found a useful ally in Shawn Mason and they added 79 for the fourth wicket, before Andrews was dismissed.
Except for Wintz, whose three overs cost a miserly 9 runs, all the other DCC bowlers felt the wrath of Andrews’ bat, as he blasted seven sixes and two fours in his 53, hitting Teralph Scipio (1-29) for two sixes and one four in his first over.
Atlantis needed 26 to score an upset victory over their host, when they penultimate over was bowled by Barnwell, who after delivering three dot balls, was struck for 4, 0 and 6 by Andrews, whose side needed 16 from the final over, which was entrusted to Scipio by Barnwell.
But while many thought it was a mistake by the home team skipper, especially after seeing Andrews cut Scipio over point for his seventh six to raise his half century from the third delivery, Scipio vindicated Barnwell’s decision by taking Andrews’ wicket off the final delivery, while giving away two more runs to hand DCC the victory.
At the presentation ceremony which followed, DCC Public Relations Officer Ian John apologised for the absence of the club’s president Alfred Mentore, while former Guyana and West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd and Atlantis’ secretary John Aaron lauded both teams for the exciting display.
All the trophies which included the championship, runner-up, and Man- of- the -Series and Finals respectively were donated by Charles Lloyd, while the curtains will come down on the club’s centenary celebrations today, with a 40 overs match between the same two teams at the same venue from 1000hrs, weather permitting.