Essequibo Busta Cricket festival…Tenacious Garraway stars as Bartica beat Wakenaam in Final

Sep 01, 2008 Sports

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By Sean Devers in Essequibo
In association with Arabian Hotel

Fifteen-year-old fast bowler Shawn Garraway warmed up for this weekend’s opening round Under-17 Inter-County cricket match with a courageous shot-filled 43 to help set up Bartica’s 40-run win against Wakanaam yesterday in the final of the sixth annual Busta Essequibo cricket festival at the New Opportunity Corps ground at Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast.

Batting with an injured shoulder sustained when he hit one of his five sixes, the Tenacious Garraway, who took the Man-of-the-Match award, also clobbered two fours and got support from Ravi Sewnarine (37*) as Bartica recovered from 82-8 to make 169 off 48.3 overs.

Even with the burly Garraway unable to bowl, Wakanaam fell for 129 in 44.4 overs as left-arm spinners Robert Moore (3-12) and Andrew Wong (3-24) did the bulk of the damage in the first final involving two teams from outside the Essequibo Coast since the competition began in 2002. 

In agriculture settings and watched by a vocal crowd in scorching heat, Bartica elected to bat on a slow track and their top order struggled as off-spinners Vickram Ramnarine (3-34), Nazir Mohamed (2-19) and left-arm spinner Imran Khan (2-28) restricted the scoring on a very rough and heavy outfield.

Robin Narine, who hit two fours and a six in 18 at the top of the order, added 19 with Skipper Festos Benn (15) after the pair had joined forces at 12-1 when Kenzo Baksh was removed by pacer Oyono Sampson for a duck.

Narine clobbered Roopnarine Persaud for a six but the pacer got his revenge when he bowled the opener at 32-2.

The 50 was posted in the 12th over before three wickets tumbled in the space of a run as Bartica, who beat East Bank and two-times defending champions South Essequibo (in the semis) and had washed-out matches against Leguan and Wakanaam on their road to yesterday’s final, slipped from 57-2 to 58-5.

Mohamed removed Mahesh Richards (12) while Khan sent back Hardeo Seeram for a duck and Benn as Wakanaam, with victories against Central (in semis) and Leguan and suffered a washed-out match against East Bank and Bartica; put themselves in a strong position.

Ramnarine struck three quick blows when he had Andrew Williams (3) caught and bowled at 70-6, trapped Essequibo left-arm spinner Robert Moore (0) leg before four runs later and bowled Orin De Freitas (5) as Bartica slumped into further trouble.

It was at this stage that Garraway joined forces with Ravi Sewnarine to stage an entertaining recovery act with positive stroke play.

The pair, especially Garraway, had the fans which included Eseequibo Cricket Board officials, General Manager of Guyana Beverages Inc Robert Selman and some of his Georgetown staff, on their feet with an array of pugnacious shots before Garraway was forced to retire on 30 at 121-8.

The right-hander dislocated his shoulder as he disdainfully dumped pacer Sampson for a straight six and left the field grimacing in pain.

Andre Wong joined the left-handed Sewnarine and extended the ninth wicket partnership to 50 before Wong (4) was bowled by Mohamed.

Garraway returned after having his shoulder ‘fixed’ at the ground and, batting with a runner, continued from where he left off before he lofted Khemraj Gurnauth to deep mid-wicket with nine balls remaining in the innings to leave Sewnarine unbeaten 13 short of his fifty.

Ramnarine finished with 3-34 while Khan took 2-28 and Mohamed 2-19 for Wakanaam who lost Wazir Mohamed (2) with the score on 21 when they began their run chase in rapid fashion.

Osbourne, a senior Essequibo Inter-County wicketkeeper, smashed De Fritas for four off the first ball of the innings and then repeated the boundary scoring dose against Seeram in the next over.

Left-arm spinner Wong induced Navishaul Pooran (14) to edge a catch to the keeper at 48-2 while Moore produced a double strike when he sent back Osbourne (18) and Roopnarine Persaud (0) in the space of two runs to leave the score on 51-4 in the 13th over.       

Wong then trapped Neil Harry leg before for 22 at 86-5 but Randolph Harry and Mohamed kept their Island in the fight with a 20-run partnership before Mohamed was run out at 106-6 in the 35th over.

An important blow was struck when the 20-year-old Wong, a former Essequibo Inter-County player, had Sampson (3) neatly stumped at 112-7 with 12 overs left.

Mahesh Richards (2-11) tightened the screws by sending back Ramnarine (7) and Khan (0) in the 42nd over and with their two main bowlers (Moore and Williams) kept back for the last four overs between them, Bartica, the 2006 losing finalist, were large and in charge on neutral turf with Wakanaam on 121-9.

It was soon all over when Harry (22) seemed very unlucky to be given leg before to Moore but by then it was already all over bar the shouting.

Alvin Johnson told the gathering at the presentation ceremony, that Busta continues to be Essequibo’s best cricket sponsor adding that this year the competition was played outside of the Coast which will help to improve the game and generate interest for the sport in areas which usually don’t get a high level of cricket being played.

The ECB President feels that while the standard of Essequibo cricket is not where he would like it to be, he is noticing some improvement recently and urged all involved to work together for the betterment of the game in Guyana’s largest but least populated county.

“Don’t criticize for the sake of criticizing. You must be man or woman enough to speak out when things are wrong but you must be constructive in your criticism and you must try to offer solutions also,” Johnson advised.

He added that while the NOC ground is not what is expected for a final, the ground staff must be commended for their great effort in getting it ready at short notice for the match after the Anna Regina ground, which hosted Carifista activities and has a Benab on it for Amerindian Month festivities, was unavailable for cricket.     

Selman said his company was very pleased with the way the ECB has been running the competition and committed to being the sponsor again next year when a 20/20 competition for the top four teams will be played after the 50-over tournament and the winner will receive cash incentives and a trophy.

“I am pleased that for the first time all of the teams except eventual champions Bartica got to play at home and it is good to see two sides not from the Coast in the final which could mean that cricket is developing in non-traditional areas in Essequibo,” the Trinidadian Selman opined.

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