DISCARDED West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo struck a belligerent century which was not good enough, as Albion Cricket Club and Universal DVD Young Warriors played to a tie in their semifinal fixture of the ninth annual Rose Hall Town Youth

and Sports Club-organised Busta ‘Champion of Champions’ tournament last Wednesday.
On the same day and across at the Area ‘H’ ground in Rose Hall, Royston Crandon struck a patient half-century which powered Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets (RHTGG) past Memorex Bermine, virtually sealing their place in the final which will be played on Sunday November 11.
At the Albion ground, UDYW batted first and thanks go to Gajanand Singh’s 85-ball 92 (8×4, 2×6), Richard Ramdeen’s 30 and Shimron Hetmyer’s 24 (5×4). Their skipper Richard Ramdeen had earlier called correctly at the toss and immediately decided to take first strike in front of a sprinkling of spectators.
The elder Ramdeen’s decision paid some dividends as he and national youth opener Shimron Hetmyer who has so far registered the highest score of the tournament – 151 in the first round – added 32 in 9.1 overs.
However, in his haste to increase the scoring rate in the rain-reduced encounter, Seon Hetmyer lobbed a catch to Bishoo at mid-on off part-time leg-spinner Sewnarine Chattergoon (2-30), allowing Richard Ramdeen and Gajanand Singh to join forces.
They complemented each other well with positive running between the wickets, coupled with the occasional boundaries when the bad balls were bowled, realising their team’s 100 in the 25th over, while Singh reached his half-century from 57 balls, with three fours and one six.
Ramdeen proved to be the perfect foil for Gajanand Singh, curbing his aggressive attitude in support before he was dismissed at 140 for 2, caught at mid-wicket off the bowling of Chattergoon for a 75-ball 30 that was boundary-less.
Singh then opened his shoulders and tore into the home team’s bowling, hitting Bishoo for two massive sixes over long on before he was brilliantly run-out in a mix-up with Seon Hetmyer at 155 for 3.
Seon Hetmyer (19) and Sasenarine Sukdeo (16) were both dismissed by Sharaz Ramcharran (2 for 43) and as UDYW hunted for quick runs, they also lost Balram Samaroo (12), before Ishwar Singh and Kevin Ramdeen who were both unbeaten on 10 and 12 respectively, carried them to their final total.
In their run chase, the host team stuttered at the start losing the wickets of Chattergoon (12), Kandasammy Surujnarine (1) and Veerapen Permaul (1), to be 26 for 3, before the temperamental Jonathan Foo 24 (3×4) and Bishoo added 51 for the fourth wicket.
Foo was leg-before-wicket to off-spinner Kevin Ramdeen for 24, Sharaz Ramcharran was run-out for two and Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai (4) as the hosts slipped to 123 for 6, but with the visitors in the driver’s seat, Bishoo stood firm for his team, adding 59 for the seventh wicket with Andy Mohan who made 18.
Bishoo, who recently returned from the West Indies team’s preparatory camp in Barbados where he underwent a fitness exercise, was given a life by the visitors and said thanks by counting eight fours in his first half-century.
He added 35 valuable runs with David Latchaya (1) and registered his century at 217 for 8, counting five more fours in the process, before he lost Balchand Baldeo, who was run-out for one, leaving Albion on 222 for 9 in the 41st over.
All told, Albion needed 18 runs from the last four overs and nearly got there, before they lost Bishoo who was stumped off a wide delivery in the 42nd over, hitting 18 fours in his century, leaving Latchman Bishram unbeaten on two against the bowling of Gajanand Singh (3 for 42) and Samaroo 2 for 53.
According to Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the organising club, Hilbert Foster, this game would be replayed tomorrow at the Cumberland ground, with the winner meeting RHTGG in the final.
At the Area ‘H’; ground, RHTGG who are the defending champions and seven-time winner of the tournament, won the toss and invited Memorex Bermine to take first strike – a decision they must have regretted after Joemal La Fleur and Hakeem Hinds added 56 for the first wicket from 15.3 overs.
La Fleur, who was given two lives by the home team, was in a dominant mood hitting Renwick Batson and Clinton Pestano for boundaries before he was bowled by Eon Hooper (2 for 13) for 29 that included three fours.
Skipper Anthony D’ Andrade (5) fell at 63 for 2 before Hinds and Devon Clements carried the score to 94, before the latter was bowled by Lloydel Lewis, followed by the quick demise of Hinds who was bowled by Crandon (3 for 35) for 37 (2×4), leaving Memorex Bermine on 100 for 4 in the 28th over.
It became 122 for 6, as Keon DeJesus (7) and Jamally Odle (8) were both dismissed by Crandon and when Damion Van Tull who struck three fours and one six hit back over the head of Lewis in his 28 was caught by Lewis at deep cover off Shailendra Shameer, Memorex Bermine were 147 for 7 in the 37th over.
But this soon became 159 for 9, following the demise of Steven Latcha (2) and Romario Shepherd-De Jonge (1), before Trinson Bynoe, who struck five fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 39 off 29 balls, and Troy Mickle 11 carried them to their final total of 195 all out off 43.3 overs.
RHTGG started badly in comparison to their opponents, losing Batson (7) and Jason Sinclair (5) before the end of their first power play, at 29 for 2 in the ninth over.
Rajiv Ivan who suggested permanence with his deft stroke plays and Dominic Rikhi pushed the score to 75, with Rikhi who made 34 off 45 deliveries with five fours, hitting Shepherd-DeJonge for back-to-back fours in successive overs.
Needlessly, Ivan who struck three fours in his 21 looked to steer a delivery from Van Tull to the vacant third man area and got a faint edge through to Hinds who accepted the offer gleefully, while Rikhi failed to beat Shepherd-DeJonge’s return to Van Tull and was run-out.
At that stage RHTGG were 80 for 4 in the 20th over which could have been 100 for 5 when Delbert Hicks was given out caught at slip by Clements off Latcha, even though the ball dropped approximately six inches in front of the fielder.
Following a consultation with his colleague at square leg after the batsman stood his ground and following much heckling from the spectators, the standing umpire reversed his decision which did not hurt Memorex Bermine much as Mickle bowled Hicks for 9, following which Pestano (6) was caught at deep backward square leg by DeJesus off Latcha to leave RHTGG on 110 for 6.
Hooper joined Crandon and they added 79 for the seventh wicket, with the latter hitting Clements over extra cover for four, followed by two sixes off Van Tull with the ball finding its way in the JC Chandisingh Secondary School compound.
Hooper who made a run-a-ball 35 also struck Clements for a four and six, before he holed out to Van Tull at deep backward square leg off La Fleur, with his team eight runs shy of victory.
That was Memorex Bermine’s last hurrah, as Crandon eased the following two deliveries from La Fleur to the vacant third man position, posting his and the match’s lone half-century with the first, counting three fours and two sixes from 74 deliveries, while he closed off the contest with the second.
All told, Crandon batted for 75 deliveries and struck four fours and two sixes for his unbeaten 57 which piloted RHTGG to 197 for 7 from 42.3 overs, against the bowling of Latcha who took 2 for 25 from nine overs for Memorex Bermine.