LED BY hard hitting innings from skipper Jaipaul Heeralall and former Berbice all-rounder Eon Abel, D’Edward handed the highly favoured Albion Community Center a huge defeat to become the first team to reach the final of this year’s Berbice Cricket Board/New Building Society second division 40 overs competition last Saturday.

In the semi-final which was contested at the D’Edward ground and which was reduced to 24 overs a side due to overnight rain, D’Edward lost the toss and was asked to bat first by Albion, who must have regretted making such a decision, as Abel made an unbeaten 72 and Lakeraj Sookra added 35 from 6.4 overs for the first wicket.

With Abel playing the anchor role, D’Edward was not too comfortable when they reached 72 for 3 in 12 overs, at which point Heeralall joined the party and they decimated the Albion bowling attack, rattling up a quick fire partnership of 124 from 11.1 overs.

Heeralall contributed a rapid 82 which included two fours and 10 sixes in a display of power hitting, before he fell at 198 for 4 in 23.1 overs, while D’Edward finished with a formidable 210 for 4 off their allotted 24 overs with Abel hitting five fours and the same number of sixes.
Bowling for Albion, Kevindra Persaud took 2 for 19 and former Berbice Under-17 off spinner Daniel Lewis 2 for 53.

When Albion began their reply, they lost Adrian Sukhwa for 5 in the second over at 11 for 1 and even though Ritesh Umroa and former Veerapen Permaul threatened by putting on 71 in 10 overs for the second wicket, they ended on 132 for 9 when their overs expired.
Umroa fell for 24 and Permaul for 35, as Christian France took 3 for 26, Devindra Lalsa 2 for 13 and Kevon Jawahir 2 for 21 for the victorious D’Edward lineup, who with the win have advanced to the final as favourites.