DCC to clash with Everest in final on September 10

By Sean Devers

ON another day of steaming heat at the Everest ground, DCC beat GCC by five wickets with six balls to spare to advance to the final of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) T20 Cup.
They will face Everest who defeated a spirted MYO by 18 runs in the other semi-finals of the First Division tournament last Saturday.

DCC asked GCC to bat on a dry, two-paced track and lightning fast and well-manicured outfield. National U-19 batter Zakery Judah (1) was caught on the long-off boundary off Dexter George at 9-1, the shackles were never really released.

GCC’s leading batter in the tournament, Joshua Wade (18) was bowled by leg-spinner Steven Sankar while fellow spinner Nkosi Beaton bowled Deonarine Seegobin and Renaldo Ali-Mohammed for ducks as GCC slipped to 38-4.

Martin Pestano-Bell (21) hit George to deep mid-wicket to leave the score on 48-5 before Beaton, who bowled a miserly four-over spell, picking up his third wicket when he bowled Rovaldo Phillips (1) to leave GCC wobbling on the ropes on 49-6.

Skipper Devon Lord and Khemraj Jaikarran took the score 79 with excellent running between the wickets before Carlton Jacques removed Jaikarran while Lord, who batted intelligently, was run out in the final over three runs later for 20 aided by a four and a six.

George supported Beaton with 2-17 from four overs for DCC which started their innings horrendously when Sachin Singh was bowled for a duck by Wade at 1-1.
Brandon Jaikarran (13) hit a return catch of Stephon Wilson at 33-2 before three wickets tumbled for nine runs including the set Peter Raymond Perez who was LBW to Lord for 31 with three boundaries; leaving the Queenstown side on 67-5.

However, Beaton, unbeaten 28 with a six and a four and Sankar saw their home as 17 runs leaked from the penultimate over, surprisingly bowled by Seegobin with off-spinner Krsna Singh (1-11) and Ali-Mohammed (1-13) having one over left.

In the afternoon game which also commenced late, ended in fading light with Everest beating MYO, the latter of which put up a tough fight although it was in a losing cause.
Everest opted to bat and led by an 87-run stand between Clinton Pestano and David Williams, reached 182-5 when their 20 overs expired before dismissing MYO for 164.
Ushardeva Balgobin (6) and Skipper and in-form batter Akshaya Persaud (0) were both back in the pavilion with Everest on 15-2.

Former West Indies opener Rajendra Chandrika who looked very elegant on 26 and Richie Looknauth who made 41 from 35 balls, took the score 49 before the former departed.
Looknauth and Troy Gonsalves (10) took the score to 94 before Gonsalves got an under edge onto his wicket as he tried to pull a short ball from Suresh Dhanai; Looknauth tried to upper cut a short ball from Dhanai and skied it to short third-man after stroking an attractive 41.

Pestano who reached his 50 from 17 balls with two fours and six sixes before making 55 not out, shared in an unbroken 87 run partnership with Williams who clobbered an unbeaten 28 from 21 balls.

Dhanai had two wickets for MYO who were off to a solid start as Safraz Esau (22) and Sheldon Alexander (26) added 43 for the first wicket before Looknauth (2-38) broke the stand,
Esau was LBW to Williams at 63-2 while Alexander departed at 91-3 when he was bowled with a perfect yorker from Berbice and Guyana pacer Shamar Joseph at 91-3. Skipper Omesh Danram (17) then fell to Looknauth at 101-4.

The left-handed pair of Ricardo Adams (11) and the pugnacious Damion Van Tull, who smashed three sixes and three fours in an explosive 43 from 18 balls, added 53 before they were both removed by Pestano (2-33).

Skipper Persaud, one of only two bowlers with a 5-wicket haul in this tournament, took 3-24 to clean up the lower order and take his wicket tally to 13, the most in the tournament.
The two matches were carried live on FL Sports on YouTube
The Final is set for September 10.