THANKS to some miserly bowling from their all-spin attack, led by national Under-19 spinner Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, defending champions Albion Cricket Club (ACC) defeated their nemesis Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets by 21 runs last Sunday at the ACC ground, to retain their Berbice Cricket Board/Tenelec first division limited overs title.

Batting first in hazy conditions, ACC who participated in the contest without the services of West Indies middle order batsman Narsingh Deonarine and ‘A’ team skipper Veerasammy Permaul, scored 125 off 44.2 overs, with Sharaz Ramcharran leading the way with an unbeaten 45 (2×4).
Rajiv Ivan, Eon Hooper and Assad Fudadin took three wickets each for 10, 11 and 29 runs respectively for RHTGG, who were rocked by Motie-Kanhai (4-8) and Devendra Bishoo (3-28) and folded for 104 from 43.3 overs.
Earlier, the home team who are the only team to claim championship honours in this tournament, slipped to 16 for 2, losing the wickets of Sewnarine Chattergoon (6) who lost his off stump and Veerapen Permaul (0), with both wickets going to Fudadin in the 5th over.
It should have been 16 for 3, but Fudadin watched helplessly as his wicketkeeper Jason Sinclair grassed a straightforward offer off the first delivery from a tentative Jonathan Foo (1), who later watched as Kandasammy Surujnarine 17 (2×4) punched Fudadin through cover point for four.
However, the bowler returned two overs later to have Surujnarine taken by Khemraj Mahadeo at short cover, while Foo was snapped up by Sinclair off Pestano in the following over to leave Albion in a staggering position on 37 for 4 in the 10th over.
Sharaz Ramcharran, who topscored in his team’s loss to Rose Hall Town Bakewell in a second division final the previous day and Bishoo 15 (2×4) repaired the damage by adding 52 for the fifth wicket, picking up the odd boundaries from loose deliveries while rotating the strike.
The introduction of Hooper from the Southern End saw the demise of Bishoo who was quickly followed by Motie-Kanhai (0) and David Latchaya (1), to leave Albion shakily placed on 93 for 7 in the 29th over, with Ramcharran showing resistance on 29.
A four by Andy Mohan, who made 10, over cover off national Under-19 leg-spinner Shawn Pereira realised the home team’s 100 in the 32nd over of their innings, but he got a thick outside edge off Ivan and saw the skier held by Pereira at cover point, ACC 110 for 8.
Albion succumbed shortly after, with Ivan removing Latchram Bishram (0) and Avenash Wajib (2), leaving Ramcharran unbeaten on 45 (3×4), on his way to ending with 3 for 10 from 9.2 overs, in support to Hooper and Fudadin.
Having kept a stranglehold on the home team’s powerful batting lineup, RHTGG went in search of their victory target, utilising the services of Renwick Batson and Lloydel Lewis as their openers, against the bowling of Chattergoon and Veerapen Permaul.
They lost Lewis for 4, who was left stranded in mid-pitch after being sent back by Batson, before Fudadin struck back-to-back fours off Ramcharran to push RHTGG to 31 for 1 off 9 overs, forcing Bishoo to come into the attack.
Batson (21) and Fudadin (25) added 33 for the second wicket to push RHTGG to 48 for 1, before they slipped to 65 for 6, losing both Batson and Fudadin, along with Sinclair (0), Ivan (8) and Khemraj Mahadeo (4), as the spin combination of Bishoo and Motie-Kanhai defended their team’s meagre total.
Hooper (10) and Pereira (9) added 18 vital runs for the seventh wicket, before both batsmen who looked comfortable against the all-spin attack that was in operation for the home team, fell in similar fashion to Lewis, leaving RHTGG on 92 for 8 at the end of the 40th over.
A Pestano six, struck back over the head of Foo brought up his team’s 100 in the 42nd over, while inching them closer to their target, before Motie, who was reintroduced into the attack, dismissed Shailendra Shameer (2) with his first delivery, while Bishoo had Pestano snapped up at slip by Chattergoon, to complete the win for the fifth successive year.
Both Ramcharran and Motie were declared joint winners of the man-of-the-match award, while ACC took home the championship trophy and prize money that came with it, leaving RHTGG, to settle for the runners-up prize.