THE final playoffs in the Beharry Group National U-19 schools T20 cricket tournament, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, is set for today with four matches at venues in Georgetown, West Bank Berbice and Pomona on the Essequibo Coast.
These matches will decide the national Semi-finals on Sunday.
At the QC Ground, the home team will take on Covent Garden at 09:30h while St Stanislaus College face-off with Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) from 1:30 PM.
At the Pomona Ground Abram Zuil secondary oppose the Essequibo Islands secondary at 10 AM
At the Cotton Tree Ground in West Bank Berbice, Annandale and West Side High from 10:00h.
Both Abram Zuil and Essequibo Islands have already qualified for the final knockout playoff stage and will now battle to see which school emerges as Group ‘A’ (Essequibo) leaders.
The Tuesday out-of-town matches, Essequibo Islands Secondary hammered Covent Garden Secondary by nine wickets in Wakenaam.
Convent Gardens were blown away for 62 in 14.1 overs with no batter reaching 15 in woeful batting display as Demarcus Thomas (4-25) and national youth all-rounder Bhomesh Lall (2-
23) for the Wakenaam based School, who galloped to 69-1 in six overs.
Nickel Retemiah smashed an unbeaten 33 of 15 balls with him was National Youth player Justin Dowlin who ended on 19 not out.
Abram Zuil beat Queen’s College by eight wickets at Walton Hall Ground on the Essequibo Coast.
Abram Zuil stormed to a ma after successfully chased down QC’s 126-6 with Emilio Singh and 35 from Nathan Gurcharran.
Joash Inniss had 2-16 for Abram Zuil, who responded with 130- 2 in just seven overs.
A scintillating unbeaten 91 off just 30 balls decorated by eight fours and nine sixes from National U-15 opener Ravid Fredericks.
Fredricks, the son of Guyana batter Norman Fredericks, decimated the bowlers all parts of the Walton Hall sward.
BEI beat West Side High by 142 runs at the historic Albion ground
Lemuel Dejonge, the son of former Berbice batter Maxi Dejonge, like Fredericks, missed out on a century in his 59-ball undefeated 90 with 11 boundaries which included a six.
Dejonge got support from Arush Hemraj (47) as BE1 reached 186-3 when their 20 overs expired.
Nathan Karamchand took 2-24 for West Side High, who bundled out for paltry 44 in 14.3 overs.
Devendra Samaroo (17) and Ricardo Danesar (15) offered token
resistance as national youth trio, Brandon Grimmond (3-14), Gilbert Griffith (3-7) and Ray Ramnauth (3-0) combined to orchestrate the demise of the West Side batters.
The low scores in this tournament have highlighted the lack of coaches being sent to schools to prepare the students before the competition commenced.
The few players who have dominated are those in clubs who are exposed to proper coaches and proper gear. No former national U-19 and senior players are a part of the planning of
this tournament. The concept is noble but the knowledge of cricket planning is lacking.