The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President’s XI clinched a dramatic, last-ball, one-wicket victory over North Essequibo Warriors in the scheduled final Super Eight match of the 2011 Carib/Pepsi Twenty20 competition at the Everest Cricket Club ground yesterday. The win enabled the President’s XI team to join Saturday’s winners, Marios Pizza West Berbice Super Kings and Church’s Chicken Corentyne Titans in the semi-final round of the competition.
In a game that commenced at 1pm, the Warriors, led by recent Guyana Regional Super 50 selectee Norman Fredericks, won the toss and elected to bat first. They suffered a setback in the third over of the innings when Guyana Under-19 wicket-keeper Kevon Boodie was run out attempting an impossible second run with the score on four.
It became 23/2 in the eighth over when captain Fredericks was bowled by Eon Hopper for 13.
Later, former Guyana Under-19 pacer, Leon Scott, trapped Dellon Heyliger (2) to leave the innings in a spot of bother at 28/3 in the 11th over.
Viswanath Lall (21) and Herrell Green (26) steadied the innings taking to score to 79, before Lall, attempting to hit his third six, skied a catch to long-on to give Scott his second wicket.
The South Essequibo innings then collapsed as their last six wickets fell for 16 runs.
They finished on 94 all out in 19.4 overs. Guyana leg-spinner Amir Khan and Scott were the pick of the bowlers for the President’s XI claiming figures of 3/28 and 2/11 from their respective four overs.
In reply, openers Renwick Baston (20) and Elton Baker (24) got a solid start of 36 runs in eight overs, before a mid-innings crash brought the Warriors back into the contest. Batson was caught by Fredericks off the bowling of Guyana Under-19 left-arm spinner Anthony Adams; Baker was caught by wicket-keeper Boodie of Lall with the total on 39.2 in the 10th over and captain Vishaul Singh was comically run out without scoring as the President’s XI slipped to 47/3 in the 11th over.
The Warriors continued to take wickets at regular intervals and going into the final over, they had reduced the President’s XI to 83/9.
But Jeetendra Sookdeo 32 (3×4, 1×6) played a composed knock the in partnership with number 11 Scott the duo secured the required 12 runs, as the President’s XI finished on 95/9 in 20 overs.
Earlier, due to early morning rain in the area, the other super eight game between Noble House Young Conquerors and Gizmos and Gadgets Pitbulls was washed out. However the organizers decided to reschedule the match for today at the same venue from 10:00 am.
