FOR the second successive year, Georgetown Cricket Club’s (GCC) skipper Leon Johnson upstaged a Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) player’s performance, to lead his team to success in the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Queensway Open Cup 50 overs tournament.

Last year, he scored an impressive ton, which nullified Gajanand Singh’s ton for DCC and yesterday at the DCC ground, he made a responsible 89 before returning to claim four important wickets, as GCC defeated DCC by 18 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis Method to retain their title in fading light.
Asked to take first strike on a straw coloured track, GCC scored 345 for 8 from their 50 overs, with Johnson hitting six fours and the same number of sixes in his innings, Robin Bacchus seven fours and seven sixes in his 82, Jeetendra Sookdeo seven fours and one six in his 72 and Ramnaresh Sarwan three sixes and one four in his 46.
Gajanand Singh, Paul Wintz and Andre Stoll took two wickets each for 42, 58 and 63 runs respectively for DCC, who reached 323 for 9 off 48 overs, when play was called off due to dark light, with Barnwell fighting off cramps to hit a pugnacious 92 from 73 deliveries with eight fours and four sixes.
Gajanand Singh 62 (55 balls; 6×4, 1×6), Travis Dowlin 39 (31 balls; 4×4, 2×6), Wintz 35 (35 balls; 6×4), Derwin Christian a run a ball 29 that was decorated with three sixes and Andrew Lyght Jnr’s 22 (3×4, 1×6) offered support to Barnwell against Johnson’s 4 for 66 and Joshua Wade’s 3 for 69.
When GCC batted, Bacchus and Sookdeo added 100 for the first wicket from 12.5 overs, with the former hitting Totaram Bishun for a hat trick of sixes off successive deliveries in one over, before he was caught by Omesh Dhanram off Gajanand Singh.
Sarwan joined Sookdeo and they added 90 for the second wicket from 15.4 overs, with Sarwan pulling Bishun for two sixes over midwicket, before a lightening speed stumping that was executed by Christian off Gajanand Singh, accounted for Sarwan.
In strode Johnson and after adding 53 for the third wicket with a solid looking Sookdeo, he saw the left handed batsman  along with Ellon Fernandes (00) and Vishal Singh (00) being sent back to the cool comforts of the pavilion by Wintz.
Those wickets had no effects on Johnson who struck Stoll for a six and four in one over, followed by three sixes off Wintz on his way to adding 88 for the sixth wicket with Gavin Singh who made 20, before he was bowled by Stoll after hitting the bowler for a six and four two deliveries earlier.
DCC began their reply in front of a vociferous crowd who had lots to cheer about, when Lyght Jnr. hit Wade over extra cover for a six, followed by a four, before he got a leading edge from a slower delivery and was caught by Sarwan at short mid on.
Dowlin was joined by Gajanand Singh and they kept the home team who is currently celebrating their 100th Anniversary up with the required run rate, with Dowlin hitting Chidanan Shivram for his two sixes, followed by a sweetly timed drive past gully point, before he was bowled by Bacchus.
Out strode a confident looking Barnwell who opened his account by flicking his first delivery from Bacchus over long leg for six and followed it with a sweetly timed four to long on in the bowler’s next over, bringing the crowd to live.
Dutifully, both Barnwell and Gajanand Singh reached their half centuries, with the former taking 37 deliveries and hitting four fours and three sixes in the process while the latter counted 42 deliveries with six fours for his own.
Two of Barnwell’s sixes saw the ball ending on the intersection of Peter Rose and Lance Gibbs Street, before he punched Raj Nannan through point to realize his 50, and later watched the demise of Singh who was caught at backward point by Bacchus off Gavin Singh.
DCC endured a collapse, losing Jamal Hinckson (04) and Christian, while Barnwell was forced to retire hurt when on 92 at 263 for 5, after suffering cramps in his right leg, a decision that haunted DCC thereafter.
Orlando Sturge (00) was bowled by Wade and he was followed by Dhanram (12; 1×4, 1×6) who like Hinckson before him, was bowled by Johnson around his legs and when Barnwell re-entered the game with DCC in tatters at 263 for 6, he holed out to long off as he looked to hit Johnson over that area.
Wintz tried desperately to inch his team closer to their target, hitting back to back fours off Johnson before Bacchus, who found it difficult to be out of the action, held a running catch from long on, to get rid of Wintz, even though he collided with Vishal Singh shortly after.
But with the light  fading quickly, umpires Nigel Duguid and Shannon Crawford called a halt to the proceedings with DCC 323 for 9 after 48 overs, handing the defending champions the win and at the same time, their second GCA Queensway Open Cup title.
At the presentation ceremony that followed which saw over G$2M in prizes being distributed, both Managing Director of Queensway Muhammad Qualander and president of the GCA Roger Harper applauded both teams for the wonderful show they put on, in which 668 runs were scored.
Muhammad Qualander’s son Mika’il Qualander made the presentation of the championship trophy to Johnson, while Harper presented the winning cheque of $120,000.