AFTER three weeks of intense competition, the curtain came down on the inaugural Georgetown Cricket Association-organised Queensway Open Cup 50 overs competition at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, last Sunday. In the final, the home team defeated their nemesis Demerara Cricket Club by six wickets thanks to skipper Leon Johnson’s patient 104, which followed Gajanand Singh’s resilient and at times temperamental 122 for DCC.
Despite being given an eight-run penalty for slow overrate which pushed DCC’s eventual  score from 218 to 226 all out off 47.2 overs, GCC reached 227 for 4 from 41.2 overs, with Johnson receiving support from Vishal and Gavin Singh who were unbeaten on 52 and 28 when victory was achieved.
Prior to the presentation of prizes which followed the final, both president of the GCA, Roger Harper, and Managing Director of Queensway and May’s Shopping Centre, Muhammad Qualander, applauded both teams for the spectacular performance they put on during the day’s play.
Harper was high in praise for the centuries scored  by Gajanand Singh and Johnson, saying that the latter’s was one which underlined his ability as one of the best young batsmen in the country today and he hopes it is the turning point in his already young and promising career.
Qualander lauded the GCA for their magnificent effort in organising and completing the tournament in such a short space of time and promised to be there for the Institution which oversees  cricket  in the capital city in the future, with a bigger and better tournament being forecast for next year.
Nine first-division and three second-division clubs participated in the tournament which saw the victorious GCC carry home $120 000, a trophy, 15 medallions and one HAIER freezer while DCC collected $80 000, a trophy and 15 medallions for their Queenstown-based club.
Even though some expected high scores throughout the tournament, only three teams namely DCC, Malteenoes Sports Club and Police Sports Club recorded team totals past the 300-run mark, while Gajanand Singh and Johnson’s tons were the lone centuries scored.
At the launching of the tournament, the GCA backed by Qualander called on teams to utilise the services of their fast bowlers more and GCC’s Joshua Wade and Kevin Ogle were well used by Johnson as they took 16 wickets between them.
Wade walked away with the fast bowler’s prize of a carpet, a pair of boots and US$100 after ending the tournament with nine wickets, the most by a fast bowler, even though DCC’s and West Indies T20 all-rounder Christopher Barnwell had the best bowling figures by a fast bowler, 4 for 42 that landed him a 21” Monarch television set.
Man-of-the-match performers in the first two rounds of the tournament received one HAIER DVD player, while PSC’s Jason Heyliger was named the MVP of the preliminary rounds, after ending with six wickets, aggregating 50 runs and taking two catches.
GCC’s Jeetendra Sookdeo and DCC’s Travis Dowlin were the respective winners of the man-of-the-match awards in the semifinals and they both received a microwave oven, while Dowlin won the MVP award for that round with his unbeaten 74 which earned him a 21” Monarch television set.
Gajanand Singh received a five-burner gas stove for the highest score in the final while Johnson won the man-of-the-match award for the final, receiving a 32” Monarch television set and one trophy from former Assistant Commissioner Paul Slowe.
The umpires and book scorer of the final, representatives of the four print media houses, match referee and even the curator of the pitch were all rewarded by the GCA through the sponsor, while GCC president handed over a commemorative club jersey to Qualander in recognition of his sponsorship to cricket in Georgetown.