Mangal spurs Everest to DeSinco Under-19 title

Nov 30, 2008 Sports

---

– GCA President says players should look after cricketing matters

By Sean Devers

Man-of-the-Match Raj Mangal fell five short of his 50 but still managed to spur Everest to a comfortable six-wicket win against GCC in the final of the Georgetown Cricket Association’s (GCA) 40-overs under-19 cricket competition, at the DCC ground yesterday.
The diminutive left-handed Mangal hit three fours in his 69-ball 45, before he was run out as Everest reached 121-4 in 27overs chasing the 120 all out in 38 overs made by GCC.
Asked to bat first on a slow track in sweltering heat, GCC were given a solid 34-run start between National Under-19 opener Jeetendra Sookdeo (13) and Kamal Ramkissoon (16), before Skipper Sookdeo was taken at slip off fast bowler Azad Mohamed.
Ramkissoon was then stumped off spinner Chris Surat at 53-2, resulting in the Bourda boys losing their way on a heavy outfield despite a 25-ball 26 from talented national Under-17 left-hander Delon Fernandes.
Surat (3-8 from eight overs) and Guyana Under-17 leg-spinner Amir Khan (2-10 from seven overs) kept the shackles on the batsmen as they struggled to get the ball away, before national Under-19 pacer and Everest skipper Leon Scott had Fernandes caught and bowled in his second spell as GCC slumped to 88-7.
Daniel Dookie offered resistance towards the end of the innings with an unbeaten 18 as Mohamed (2-16) supported Surat and Khan.
Surat (12) and Mangal carefully built a foundation for the run chase as GCC strangely opted to open the bowling with two spinners who never really looked like making inroads into the Everest batting.
Off-spinner Parmanand Ramkissoon was introduced into the attack with the score on 36 and made the break through when he trapped Surat leg before.
Despite being tidy, the all-spin attack employed by Sookdeo who never used pacer Lloyd Roberts at all, proved ineffective as Mangal and National Under-17 left-hander Dayanand Ramkissoon put together 53 runs for the second wicket, before Mangal was run out at 89-2.
When seemingly well set to see his team to victory, Ramkissoon spoiled his impressive batting performance with an impulsive slog at Ramkissoon and skied a catch to point. His 37-ball 24 was decorated with two boundaries and his demise left the score on 95-3.
With 14 required for victory Scott (13) was stumped as off-spinner Winston Forrester, whose action raised a few eyebrows, struck.
Mohamed (10*) and Hemraj Chanderpaul (6*) saw the Camp Road side to victory with 18 balls to spare, as Ramkissoon finished with 2-25 in a losing cause.
Sookdeo said after the game that while he wanted to use pacer Roberts at the start of the innings, the game plan set out by Coach Neil Dhanraj mandated that he did not gave Roberts a spell.
At the Presentation Ceremony Everest received the winner’s trophy and $50,000 while GCC collected a trophy and $25,000.
GCA President Bish Panday told the gathering that this was the fifth completed competition since last year June and informed that in the next two weeks two more tournaments should be finished once there is no adverse weather.
Panday said that this competition is a part of the GCA’s structured development cricket programme from Under-15 to over-40 and thanked DeSinco’s Managing Director Frank DeAbreu for coming on board to help in the development of cricket in the City.
“Under-19 cricket is a steeping stone to the regional and International level and competitions like these are very important to the development of the young players.
Guyana dominated youth cricket in the 1990s and the GCA feels that with proper management of cricket in Guyana we can return to the success we once had at the regional Under-19 level,” Panday said.
He added that this can only happen if the cricket is played on the field with 22 players and the umpires and the focus is really on the improvement of the cricket.
“We at the GCA know that for cricket to be properly managed we have to call on the expertise of the former and present players to help us with the cricketing matters of the sport since while the non-cricketers have an important role to play in the administration of the game, it is the knowledge of the people who have the first hand experience of being players that is needed in the cricketing matters,” Panday opined.
“At the GCA level the man in charge of our youth cricket is our Vice-President Alfred Mentore who is a former Guyana under-19 player, while Roderick Lovell, a former Guyana youth and senior player, is in charge at the senior level. We have full confidence in Lovell’s ability since he has a wealth of knowledge about cricket, being a former first-class player,” Panday added.
The GCA top man also thanked Shawn Massiah for the hard work he is doing in getting the competitions organised and his technical team which is made up of players who implement new ideas to improve the game in Georgetown.
Six schools were a part of the DeSinco competition and each school was given a cricket kit.
DeSinco’s representative Natalie Mars said her company was pleased to be associated with Panday and the GCA and pledged its continued support of the competition next year.

---

---