BLAIRMONT Community Centre and West Berbice both won their final Zone A (West Berbice) preliminary matches to end up as winners and runners-up respectively of that zone and therefore earning their places in the last six play-offs of the 2012 Carib Beer First Division 20/20 cricket competition in Berbice.
At Bush Lot: Blairmont Community Centre defeated Bush Lot United Rising Star by 38 runs. Winning the toss and batting first Blairmont Community Centre benefited from a well-played 82 (4×4, 3×6) from Chris Patadin, and together with 36 from Altaf Khan helped Blairmont post 157 for 4 in 20 overs. Bowling for Bush Lot pacer Keyron Fraser took 2 for 41 from 4 overs and off-spinner Ravi Gossai 2 for 32 from 4 overs.
Bush Lot United Rising Star could reply with only 119 for 9 in their 20 overs with Keno Gravesande 46 and Asif Khan 18. Doing the damage for Blairmont were right-arm leg-spinner Kevon Jawahir with 5 for 13 from 4 overs and left-arm spinner Waqar Hassan 3 for 20 from 4 overs.
Also at the Bush Lot ground, West Berbice beat Cotton Tree Die Hard by 32 runs. Batting first after winning the toss in the match reduced to 17 overs-a-side, West Berbice slipped to 45 for 5. But some big hitting from Keith Fraser, who blasted 61 n.o. (6×4, 5×6), together with 32 from Kerry Mentore, helped them recover enough to reach 144 for 6 in their 17 overs. Bowling for Cotton Tree Die Hard, medium pacer Kevin Shiwtahal took 2 for 20 from 4 overs.
Cotton Tree Die Hard in their reply never really got going and with West Berbice’s former Guyana Under-19 pacer Raun Johnson ripping through their middle to take 5 for 16 from 4 overs and Berbice off-spinner Krishnadat Ramoo taking 2 for 32 from 4 overs, they could muster only 112 all out in 16 overs with former Berbice all-rounder Eon Abel top-scoring with 24.