A BLISTERING 81 by former Essequibo hard ball and softball all-rounder, Sahadeo Hardaiow led Everest Masters Over-50s to the semi-finals of the Big Man Cricket (BMC) 30-over round-robin cricket tournament, as they whipped North Soesdyke by five wickets with ten overs to spare last Saturday.
The game, played at the Enmore Cricket Club ground, East Coast, Demerara, saw North Soesdyke winning the toss and taking first strike. They lost softball stalwart Uniss Yusuf in the first over, caught behind off the bowling of West Indies Masters pacer Basil Persaud for nought.
From thereon, they struggled throughout their innings with only D. Persaud, Sham Persaud and Ronald Jaisingh making more than 20 runs each, closing their innings at 139 for nine off their allotment of 30 overs.
The strong spin-based Camp Road team spun webs around their opponents with former Berbice Senior Inter County all-rounder Anil Beharry taking three for 23 off six overs. He got support from former national youth player Rakesh Gangaram with two for 25 and Basil Persaud, two for 11.
In reply, Everest Masters raced to 85 in nine overs before losing Persaud for 30. They however stuttered, losing four quick wickets. Hardaiow had other ideas and continued to bat smart before he lost his wicket at 136, taking his team close to the finishing line. D. Hemraj and Beharry saw their team home.
Bowling for North Soesdyke, R. Tulsie was the pick of the bowlers with three for 28 off four overs.
The semi-finals are set for Saturday November 3 with Everest Masters taking on Jai Hind Jaguars at Enmore and East Coast Ash Decor versus North Soesdyke at Enterprise. Both matches start at 11:00 hours.
The competition is sponsored by Permaul Trading and Distribution and Peter Lewis Construction and Asphalt Services, both Berbice-based businesses.