A MASTERFUL, unbeaten half-century from Seon Hetmyer and a sensational all-round performance from Zeynul Ramsammy held off a star-studded Lusignan Bulls DTP I, as Grillmaster Sip N Play All-Stars clinched the Berbice Zone title in the Lotto/Let’sBet One Guyana T10 Tapeball Blast.
In a gripping Sunday night final under the lights at the Albion Sports Complex, Sip N Play survived a final-over scare to seal a narrow four-run victory and punch their ticket to the National Finals.
The foundation for Sip N Play’s triumph was laid by the elder Hetmyer—brother of West Indies international Shimron—who showcased his undeniable pedigree with the bat.
Hetmyer anchored the innings from start to finish, carrying his bat for a classy 52 not out off just 28 deliveries. Punctuated by four boundaries and three towering sixes, Hetmyer’s knock ensured his side posted a formidable 116 for 5 in their allotted ten overs.
He found potent support from the in-form Ramsammy, who bludgeoned a brisk 22 off 12 balls to inject mid-innings momentum, while Ricardo Ramdeholl chipped in with a handy 11.
For the Bulls, Parmesh Parsotam (1 for 23) and Nigel Deodat (1 for 27) were the pick of the bowlers, keeping the scoring rate just within reach despite Hetmyer’s brilliance.
Faced with a steep asking rate of nearly 12 an over, the power-stacked Bulls line-up made a concerted push in response. Contributions flowed from across the top and middle order, with Akshaya Persaud leading the charge with 22. He was supported by Myhiem Khan (18), Chandrapaul Hemraj (17 not out), and Ricardo Adams (16).
However, they were suffocated by Ramsammy, who transformed his momentum with the bat into a match-defining spell with the ball. Introduced at a crucial juncture, Ramsammy strangled the chase, delivering two exceptional overs that yielded astonishing T10 figures of 2 for 8 and left the Bulls with a mountain to climb at the death.
The tension reached a crescendo in the final over, with the Bulls requiring an imposing 24 runs for an improbable win. Sip N Play tossed the ball to Zameer Nazeer, but the contest was instantly thrust onto a knife-edge when Nazeer leaked two massive sixes within his first three deliveries. Suddenly, the equation was well within reach for the batting side. Showing remarkable composure under severe pressure, Nazeer recalibrated. He held his nerve brilliantly across the final three deliveries, conceding no further boundaries to finish with 1 for 18, restricting the Bulls to 112 for 5 and sparking wild celebrations for the New Amsterdam-based side.
The hard-fought victory earned Sip N Play a $500,000 top prize, courtesy of Sawa Investment, and made them the first team to secure their place in the National Finals, slated for October 11 at the Anna Regina National Stadium. The runner-up Bulls walked away with $200,000 from Guyana Cup, while losing semi-finalists Grillmaster Avengers and The Mavericks collected $50,000 each.
Earlier in the evening, an entertaining female exhibition match saw Team Lotto defeat Team Let’sBet, riding on the back of unbeaten knocks from Realenna Grimmond (26*) and Shenta Grimmond (16*).
Sip N Play will now await the winner of the East Bank/West Demerara Zone, which will be contested on August 15 and 16 with matches across Farm Ground, Goed Fortuin, Meten-Meer-Zorg, and Uitvlugt, culminating in a zone final at Meten-Meer-Zorg from 10:00h on August 16.
The Essequibo Zone will follow on August 22 and 23, with the zone finals set for the Anna Regina National Stadium on Sunday, August 23.
