By Elroy Stephney

THE Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) last Saturday and Sunday hosted its inter-committee T20 Under-19 tournament at various venues involving the eight area committees.

The players were clad in white clothing and used red balls, and the atmosphere was one of competitive rivalry and individual brilliance.

On Saturday at the Reliance ground, South Essequibo easily disposed of Wakenaam winning handsomely by 85 runs. South opted to bat first after winning the toss and amassed an imposing 239-2 from their allotted 20 overs, thanks to an opening stand of 172 between Quintin Sampson and Orlando Jailall.

Sampson showed his experience after completing a stint with the senior Essequibo team in the GCB Franchise tournament by blasting an unbeaten century. His delightful knock of 116 was decorated with 10x6s and 8x4s while Jailall’s composed 66 included 3x6s and 6x4s.

In reply, Wakenaam found the going tough and were demolished for a paltry 54 in 11 overs to concede a heavy defeat. Leg-spinner Devindra Jailall bowled with promise to take 3-14 while there were 2 wickets each for Quintin Sampson and Sheldon Sylvain who was impressive with his pace and accuracy.

On the same day at the Imam Bacchus ground in Affiance, eventual champions East Bank Essequibo disposed of Leguan by 7 wickets. In a low-scoring encounter, Leguan could reach only 97 in 19 overs with Mark Rankin 22 and Takaram Premnauth 20 showing some resistance.

Meduim-fast bowler Elian White 3-16, Adrian Ramkripaul 2-17, Nicholas Holder 2-14 and Jeremiah Scott 2-17 all bowled miserly with telling effect.

In their turn at the crease, an explosive unbeaten half-century by Jeremiah Scott, whose 65 was studded with seven fours and four sixes, nicely paced East Bank to 55-3 in just 9 overs.

At the Number 1 ground on the same day, Central Essequibo had the better of North Essequibo to win by 11 runs. Central took first strike and posted 81-9 from their 20 overs with national all-rounder Joshua Jones 15, Badesh Parsotam and Kelly Williams 12 each, reaching double figures.

There were 2 wickets each for Sheldon Charles, Rafel David and Lance Roberts. North in reply could reach only 70-8 when their overs expired, as off-spinner Badesh Parsotam mesmerised his opponents to grab 5-15 from 4 overs. Only Kirk James 24 and Sheldon Charles 14 managed to offer some resistance in a close finish.

During the draw, East Bank drew a bye to the final as Central Essequibo and South Essequibo battled in the semifinal on the same day at the Imam Bacchus ground which ended in a tie and a super-over decider.

South Essequibo made 9 in the lone over then restricted Central to 6, to win by 3 runs. The final was then contested on Sunday at the same venue.

After winning the toss, South Essequibo batted on a wearing pitch that was seemingly under-prepared. It meant that runs were difficult to acquire and the spinners used the surface to their advantage.

East Bank opened their attack with spin and immediately gained success as the prolific Orlando Jailall was lbw in the second over without scoring to lead the slide of his team.

A lone vigil by the mercurial Quintin Sampson, whose responsible, though subdued half-century provided an indication of how difficult it was to bat on the surface. In the end, he grafted 63 (4×4, 1×6) while Dovindra Mohan supported with 20 (2×4). They were the principal scorers in a total of 102-6 in 20 overs.

In reply, East Bank began purposefully accumulating runs, though it was also tough for them at the crease. It eventually took a responsible innings of 33 (2×6, 2×4) from captain Kevin Christian while Azim Mohamed 15 and Dodi Oselmo 12 ensured that their side crossed the line ending on 103-5 in the 19th over for a 5-wicket triumph.

During the ceremony, ECB treasurer Veren Chintimani made brief remarks and made the presentation of prizes. Also present were organiser Ramnarine Ragoobar and ECB secretary Autto Christiani.

The winners received $20 000 while special mention was made of Quintin Sampson’s century and Badesh Parsotam’s 5-wicket haul as the highlights of the tournament.