Berbice play as a team to win DJ Stress 20/20 cricket title

Jul 06, 2010 Sports

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Berbice climaxed a well organised 2nd annual DJ Stress 20/20 cricket Festival at the Guyana National Stadium under lights on Sunday night by beating the star-studded defending champions New Line Cavaliers in the final to claim the title and the G$500,000 first prize.
National Leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo took four wickets while off-spinner Krisendat Ramoo, who took 4 wickets in the semi-finals, removed West Indies Captain Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons as Berbice, the only team in the competition without a guest player, demonstrated excellent ‘team cricket’ and unity to take the title.
Not even heavy rain which gave Cavaliers an 11-run semi-final win against Trinidad club team Moosie Sports Club on the Duckworth/Lewis system, thunder and lighting and a power outage during the exhibition match between Digicom Superstars and the Guyana Media X1, could put a damper on a day of fun and frolic for the entire family as a vociferous of close to 8,000 watched the highly paid International stars fail to shine.

The day began in glorious sunshine with Berbice beating the much touted Georgetown Pitbulls by 23 runs in a contest which suggested that team cricket is more important that individual sparks of brilliance in 20/20 cricket.
Former West Indies players Richard Ramdeen top scored with 30 as Berbice made 169-7. Georgetown Pit bulls in reply fell for 146 after West Indies player Dwayne Bravo, who made an inauspicious Guyana club debut, fell for a first ball duck.
Ramdeen, who added 43 in 4.3 overs with Test player Sewnarine Chattergoon (27), hit the first two balls from Bravo for sixes. The second six; a pugnacious cut of point, had the crowd, entertained by two music sets in the Party stand and Tassa drummers, dancing in the stands.
West Indies ODI player and Berbice Captain Royston Crandon (15) and former Guyana under-19 player Jonathon Foo and Ranga Latchana (5) fell in quick succession before Devon Clements (37) and West Indies Sixes player Esuan Crandon (20*) added 60 for the 7th wicket to give Berbice their eventual winning total.
Guyana all-rounder Chris Barnwell took 3-21 for the City side who were never allowed to score freely after the demise of Test opener Travis Dowlin for 40.
National player Deon Ferrier continued to impress in this format with a rapid 27 but although Shivnarine Chanderpaul is among the greatest Test batsmen in the World he again showed his inability to take the bowling apart from ball one in the game’s shortest format and struggled to get the ball away after being dropped 3 times in his 26. Former West Indies under-19 Skipper Steven Jacobs chipped in with 18 as Ramoo had 4-25 and Royston Crandon and Bishoo took 2 wickets each for the winners.
In the second semi-final, Favorites Cavaliers, boosting overseas West Indies players Gayle, Simmons, Marlon Samuels and Rayed Emrit, beat Moosie Sports Club by 11 runs on the D/L system after rain halted the match with Cavaliers on 112-4 in 13 overs replying to Moosie’s 156-5.
If Brian Yearwood had not conceded 23 runs from the last over of that game, the Trinidad side would have scored an upset win since before the over began Cavaliers were 9 runs behind the D/L victory target.
West Indies 20/20 player William Perkins hit an attractive 56 and added 64 for the first wicket with Mario Belcon (33). Yearwood (26) and Skipper and former test leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo, who dumped Gayle for a six and a four off consecutive balls in his cameo unbeaten 18, also contributed with the bat as Gayle took 2-27.
Gayle departed early and although Simmons (24*), Samuels (25) and Andrew Lyght Junior (23) got starts Cavaliers were never allowed to dominate the game which was ended by a torrential downpour.
In the Exhibition match, John Ramsingh (13) and former Guyana player Roderick Lovell (13) were the only batsmen to reach double figures as the Media X1 struggled to get the ball off the square and crawled to 49-4 off their 10 overs as Amit Jairam took 2-12 from 2 overs.
Yutesh Danpaul (30*) and Ramsehwar Persaud (8*) then saw their team to 50-without loss in 7 overs after off-spinner Sean Devers and Lovell opened the bowling but made little impression.
In the final, the Berbice Titans made 132-7 with Rajiv Ivan top scoring with an unbeaten 36 with 3 fours and a six. Former West Indies under-19 player Hoomchand Pooran (22) and Royston Crandon (13) offered support.
Gayle hit a six and a four in his 12-ball 13 but once he was sent packing by Ramoo, Simmons (21), Samuels (24) and Skipper and former West Indies left-hander Gajanand Singh (20) staged a minor recovery but Royston Crandon captured 3-26 and Ramoo and Bishoo grabbed 2 wickets each to bowl Berbice to victory.

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