Shimron Hetmyer BCB Grass Tournaments
Betsy Ground CC, Young Warriors become Champions in Canje, Cumberland Grounds
Betsy Ground CC stands after the final.
The winning YWCC team.
Kaieteur News – A major objective of the Grassroot tournament organized by the Berbice Cricket Board continues to be fulfilled as Betsy Ground Cricket Club makes history by winning one of the two Hetmyer Shimron Challenge Cups. It was their first ever BCB cricket title, while the more established Young Warriors CC defeated Mt. Sinai CC to win the second Shimron Hetmyer Challenge Cup at the Cumberland Ground. It was also the first time that Mt. Sinai has reached the BCB cricket final in decades. Both tournaments were played under very strict Covid-19 guidelines as the BCB fulfilled its commitment to the national Covid-19 Task Force.
At the Canje Ground, play was delayed by nearly two hours due to heavy early morning showers. The first round of games was reduced to ten overs per side.
Rose Hall defeated Canje Pathfinders CC, while RH Canje passed Bananen Land Wood to reach the final. Betsy Ground won the toss and elected to bat first in the final of the fifteen overs. They were able to collect 81 for 8 of their assigned missiles as Orin Emandin 17, R. Jugister 14, S. Beharry 11 and A. Arjune 10 reached double figures. National Junior player Isiah Thorne 2 for 21 and Sasenarine Sukhu 2 for 10 were the best bowlers for the confident home team. Needed to score 82 to win another title, Rose Hall Canje was bowled out for 63 of 11.1 overs as only Rocky Bipat 21 (2 × 6) and Sukhu 11 reached double figures. Jugister 5 for 14 and R. Gangaram 4 for 7 were the main destroyers for the champions. Gangaram was named Man of the Final Four.
Over at the Cumberland Ground, early morning heavy rain also affected the start of play. In the opening round, Mt. Sinai defeated Flying Star CC of East Bank Berbice, while Young Warriors CC passed Tucber Park B. Batting first after winning the toss in the final. The YWCC managed to collect a massive 171 for two of their twenty appointed overs. Trevon Stanislaus 50 not out, Ricardo Ramdehol 39 not out, Suresh Dhanai 27 and Mortimer Fraser 34 were the best performers with the bat for the home team. K. Chesney 1 for 11 and F. Daniels 1 for 31 were the successful bowlers for Mt. Sinai, who was bowled out for 54 in 10.3 overs to lose by 117 runs. Only N. Robeer 11 and J. Austin 10 reached double figures. Jermaine Henry bowled 4 for 15 and Kassim Khan 4 for 14 bowled well for the champions.
BCB President Hilbert Foster and Secretary Angela Haniff praised the outstanding performances of both champions. Foster, who leads the running of the tournaments, noted that the win for Betsy Ground CC was historic and urged the players delighted to build on their success. He also noted the achievement of the Mt. Team Sinai and praise the players for reaching the finals. West Indies player Shimron Hetmyer was particularly thanked for his continued support of Berbice Cricket. Foster said that in 2021, Hetmyer invested nearly two million dollars in the development of cricket in the county.