Dominant G/Town retain Nalico/Nafico U-15 title

Feb 27, 2009 Sports

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Surat stars in low-scoring final

By Sean Devers
Like he did with the Georgetown and Demerara under-17 teams last year, Level 1 Coach and former National off-spinner Gavin Nedd played a pivotal role in ensuring two-time defending champions Georgetown retained their Nalico/Nafico Demerara Cricket Board Inter Association 50-overs under-15 title at the Everest ground yesterday.

Shaquille Williams showed astute captaincy of the city side while Christopher Surat had 1-6 from seven overs of economical off-spin as East Coast limped to 64-5 off their allotted 35 overs before returning to hit an unbeaten 35 as the pre-tournament favorites reached 65-1 in 24.1 overs to win by nine wickets.
“We want to thank the other teams for giving us some slight competition and my players for playing as a team” Williams said after the game which was reduced by 15 overs due to overnight rain.
The pitch was slow and low and the outfield heavy and the fact that not a single boundary was scored in the entire match emphasized this although the ploy by the East Coast batsmen went into almost ‘reverse gear’ after the demise of their openers did not help their cause.

Georgetown, the only unbeaten team in the four-team tournament won the toss and asked East Coast, who just squeezed into the final ahead of West Demerara on a better net run rate, to bat first in blazing sunshine.
Brian Sattaur again looked attractive and along with Reyad Zaman added 38 for the first wicket.  They were never allowed to score freely as Williams at slip held a stupendous catch low to his right to get rid of the left-handed Sattaur in the 18th over after he had made 21 from 49 balls.
After Zaman, who labored for 64 balls for his 17 pushed meekly forward and was bowled by spinner Chanderpaul Hemraj at 49-2 in the 25th over, the run dried up as Williams conceded just five runs from his six overs of off-spin bowling in tandem with Surat.
Spinner Omesh Dhanram (3-9 off five overs) ensured their were no last overs fireworks by removing Steve Ramdass (4) at 56-3, Travis Persaud (3) and Vivian Albert (0) in two balls to leave the score on 64-5.
Surat and Mohan Ramdeen also found it difficult to get the ball regularly off the square but were content to push the ball into gaps as they put together 34 for the first wicket. However, Owen Andrew’s diving catch running in from long-on accounted for Ramdeen (14) as leg-spinner Poorendra Jaigobin broke the partnership.
Man-of-the-Match Surat played some authentic shots and his driving suggested a batsman in form but his running between the wickets left much to be desired and cost his team several runs, even when he was adding 31 in an unfinished second wicket partnership with Sunil Rupee who finished unbeaten on nine.
Jaigobin, who finished with 1-12 from 4.1 overs, ended the contest with a leg-side wide as Georgetown won with 10.5 overs to spare.
Demerara Cricket Board President and acting Guyana Cricket Board head Bissoon Singh, thanked the two Insurance Companies for their contribution to the development of youth cricket in Guyana’s second largest county and urged the players to lift their standard of play as they aspire to progress with their careers.
“We had some good cricket but I think the competition has to be higher next year and I urge to go home and look in the mirror and tell yourself you have to work much harder the next time you play,” Singh said.
DCB Vice-President and GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie also spoke at the presentation ceremony which was attended by Georgetown Cricket Association President Alfred Mentore and DCB and GCB executive Preitpaul Jaigobin.
Shivraj Singh and Yogindra Arjune represented the sponsors and said their aim was not only to assist of sponsoring the competition was not only for the development of cricket but the development of the youngsters who participated.
Williams thanked the sponsors for giving the teenagers the opportunity to play at this level while Sanasie informed that Inter-Association competitions will be played at all levels in Demerara including First-Division.
The competition was used by the DCB youth selectors to pick the Demerara under-15 team for the under-15 Inter-County tournament which starts tomorrow in Essequibo.
Williams was appointed Captain of the Demerara team which face-off with Essequibo at the Anna Regina ground and the rest of the Demerara team read: Brian Sattaur, Christopher Surat, Chandrika Persaud, Sunil Rupee, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Tryon Bobb, Dinesh Mangal Poorandra Jaigobin, Mark Rigby, Kaveem Naughton, Celon Critchlow, Diquen Murray, Ray Barton (Manager), Daniel Richmond (Coach).

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