REGAL Stationery completed the double in the 5th edition of the Guyana Softball Cup when both their Masters and Open teams successfully carted off the winners’ purse in the finals Sunday evening at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground, Queenstown.With the win, the Regal team took home a total $1.4M – $800 000 for being the winners of the Open category and $600 000 for their efforts at the Masters level. They also received a pair of trophies.
However, controversy ended the Open final just 9.3 overs into Regal’s chase when the New York Softball All-stars could not bring themselves to agree with the umpire’s decision in favour of Regal batsman Fazal Rafeek, after a stumping appeal.
Instead, they chose to protest the decision and even though the batsman in question (Rafeek) opted to give up his wicket, the New York side continued their protest, which led organisers to call off the match and hand the game to the Regal side.
Before the interruption, the Regal side were at 65-2 with Richard Latif producing a masterclass 40 not out, after being dropped earlier in the innings.
Rafeek made 9 and Navin Singh was dismissed for 8.
Batting first, the New York team made 119 all out, thanks to Amar Singh and Hemendra Ramdial 20 each, while Wasim Haslim contributed 18.
Ameir Nizamadeen with 3-10 (2) & Tyrone Sanasi 3-23 (4) were the main destroyers for Regal.
Richard Latif was adjudged the man-of-the-series in the Open division.
Meanwhile, in the Masters Division, which was contested first, the Regal team were too good for their Floodlight competitors, brushing them off with 6 wickets to spare.
Batting first, Floodlight 11 posted 160 for the loss of 9 wickets thanks to 31 from Yunie Yusuf and 25 from Wayne Jones while bowling for Regal, David Harper picked up 4 for 19 off 20.
In response Regal comfortably overhauled the total, scoring 161 for the loss of 4 wickets; 80 not out from Eon Abel and 42 from Rudolph Barker.
Floodlight player Richard Narine was the man-of-the-series on the Masters side.
A total of 42 matches were played in the three days with sponsors being RUBiS Bel Air, Survival Travel Agency, Stag Beer, Clear Water, Nauth Motor Spares and others.

By Stephan Sookram