Wintz lead from the front with Man-of-the-Match performance

Nov 02, 2008 Sports

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As Young Warriors snatch Neal & Massy title under lights

By Sean Devers
Despite torrential morning rain, Young Warriors beat DCC by four wickets just before mid-night on Friday in the first ever club final under flood lights in Guyana to claim the Neal and Massy National 40-overs first division cricket title with two overs to spare.
Asked to bat on a track that kept a bit low in murky conditions, DCC recovered from 101-8 to reach 188 all out from 39.3 overs as Denis Squires hit a top class unbeaten 51.
Young Warriors then became the third team from Berbice in the four-year history of the competition to win the title when they reached 189-6 off 38 overs as DCC had to contend with a ragged fielding display on a damp outfield, a classy 50 from former West Indies under-19 left-hander Gajanand Singh and a valuable 51-ball 43 from Skipper Paul Wintz who had earlier taken 2-28 with his on-target medium pace.
Watched by a handful of fans, most of them Berbicians urging Young Warriors on, the Region Six side struck in the first over when National under-19 opener Trevon Griffith was caught at point for a duck off pacer Kawsie Maltay at 2-1.
Vishal Arjune survived a confident caught behind appeal off Wintz on 10 at 18-1 before he was leg before to the first ball bowled by off-spinner Balram Samaroo for 10 at 36-2.
In a match which lacked the atmosphere of a historic final, National 20/20 player Chris Barnwell tried to inject some life into the contest with an audacious square driven boundary off Maltay to get his innings going at a venue which has is arguably the fastest drying outfield in the region before he was taken at cover off the impressive Wintz for 34 at 54-3.
Wintz then bowled Skipper Derwin Christian for a duck at 60-4 while Jamal Hinkson (19) was leg before at 66-5 to Muniram Shivdyal who soon bowled Matthew Marques (5) at 92-6.
When Kester Harcourt (3) was run out and Trevon Garraway (21) edged a catch to the keeper off Samaroo, DCC had slumped to 101-8 and the gathering, which included Director of Sport Neil Kumar, must have been anticipating an early night.
But Denis Squires, short on runs in recent times, produced one of his better innings under pressure and along with fellow off-spinner Kevin George (21) added 61 runs for the ninth wicket to bring the City side back into the fray.
The tall Squires batted intelligently and hit three fours and two thunderous sixes in his unbeaten 51 before George, who played a level-headed supporting role to Squires, missed an injudicious swing to Farouk Hussain and was bowled at 162-9.
Gavin Nedd was then bowled by Singh with three balls to go as Wintz finished with 2-28, Samaroo 2-27 and Shivdyal 2-27 for the ‘Warriors’ who only became a club in 1992.
With the inaugural 20/20 title in 2006 being their only national success, Young Warriors were off to a bad start when Hussain (1) cut George (who opened the bowling with his spin) to pint at 4-1.
Garraway then removed former West Indies batsman Richard Ramdeen (2) one run later, the sprinkling of DCC supporters were dancing as the Stereo Sonic Sound System tried to liven up the few fans in the Mound stand.
Wahid Edward 20 and the left handed Singh repaired the early damage with their 80-run third wicket stand on a track which kept low as Singh capitalized on being dropped by Arjune at slip on three off Garraway.
Just when he was looking ominous, Singh (50) skied Barnwell to cover and at 88-4 with their biggest threat out of the way, the Queenstown unit were back in the contest.
However, national under-19 batsman Seon Hetymyer, a surprise omission form the President’s Cup competition, and the versatile Wintz joined forces to take Young Warriors to 157 as DCC, apparently affected by a few a ‘not out’ verdicts from the Umpires, buckled mentally as the pressure mounted and openly showed their disappointment with the Umpires.
Squires, a contender for Man-of-the-Match trapped Hetymyer (26) leg before at 157-5 and when Wintz threw his wicket away with an impetuous slog off Squires to short mid-wicket with victory just eight runs away the Young Warriors fans, were already celebrating victory as the Tassa drums rolled in the stand.
Samaroo stayed to the end as a dropped catch by the keeper off Squires which went for four, ended the game and emphasized the poor fielding display at crunch time by one of the best teams in the country.
Barnwell and Squires had two wickets each for DCC who had to settle for the $50,000 runner-up prize and trophy.
Young Warriors collected to $100,000 first prize and a trophy while Wintz took home $10,000 and a trophy for his match winning all –round performance.

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