A KEEN contest is anticipated between defending champions Walton Hall and Lima United when they clash tomorrow in the North Essequibo T20 Final, scheduled for the Walton Hall ground from 14:00hrs.

Both teams fancy their chances at the coveted title with Walton Hall seeking to gain home advantage.

Their batting line-up will rely heavily on the explosive former Essequibo senior inter-county batting all-rounder Basil Persaud who has been in fine form this season with both bat and ball.

He will garner support from the versatile Vishwanauth Lall, Navin Bahudur, Navindra Balgobin and Suresh Persaud who scored the lone century in the preliminary stages of the competition. Former Essequibo Under-19 off-spinner Uvindra Balgobin, who has the most wickets in the tournament, will spearhead the bowling department on a pitch that will offer considerable bounce and turn.

Surprise finalists Lima United have been the team on a mission, following their reintroduction into active cricket. Consistent batting at the top from the exploits from Renzo Ghani and Abdool Salim has given the team ideal starts for eventual big scores.

The strong middle order, comprising Fazeer Khan, Faizal Karim and Kevin Maneychand, will also seek to capitalise against their opposition given that their bowling strength is limited.
Meanwhile, the third-place playoff will be between Gunners and Devonshire Castle at 10:00hrs. The officiating umpires are Deva Dass and Shannon Crawford.

Monetary prizes and trophies will be at stake and among the officials to be present will be president of North Essequibo Cricket Committee Prince Holder, ECB secretary Autto Christiani and coordinator Ajodia Lall and special guests. (Elroy Stephney)