Showdown at UWI SPEC today
Published on Jan 14, 2017, 10:53 pm AST
Today’s final of the UWI-UNICOM National T20 tournament at the University of the West Indies in St Augustine will be a Trinidad and Tobago versus Guyana affair.
Demerara CC of Guyana secured their place in the final on Friday evening, beating defending champions Club Crusoe by seven wickets in a high-scoring semi-final on the Sir Frank Worrell Ground at UWI SPEC.
The final bowls off at 6 pm and the Guyanese will face either Cane Farm or Merry Boys, who were scheduled to meet in the second semi-final last evening. The winner takes home $40,000 while the runner-up will collect $20,000.
On Friday, an unbeaten half-century by opener Gajanand Singh paced the Guyanese to an impressive victory over Club Crusoe.
The men from Tobago would have fancied their chances defending 187, but Singh proved to the game winner, smashing 88 not out off 46 balls, cracking two sixes and 11 fours.
The left-hander led the way in a 95-run, unbroken 4th-wicket partnership with Derwin Christian whose 42, struck off 23 balls, included two sixes and four fours. Demerara sealed victory with a six off the final ball of the 19th over that took them to 192 for three.
The Club Crusoe bowlers were put to the sword, with Ancil Nedd, who claimed one for 21 from his four overs, being the best of the lot.
Singh, dubbed “the Un-outable One†goes into today’s final with the enviable record of having scored a half-century in each of the four rounds played thus far; and he is yet to lose his wicket.
Earlier, some massive hitting from Navin Stewart had paced Club Crusoe to a handy 187 for eight from their allotted 20 overs.
Stewart clubbed 47 off 22 balls, 40 of which came in boundaries as the all-rounder hammered six sixes and a four. Support, though, was limited. Lezama hit 39 off 30 and Christopher Vincent had 34 off 19.
However, Christian and Kellon Carmichael pegged back the Crusoe batting somewhat, taking eight wickets between them. Christian had four for 21 from his four overs and Carmichael had four for 32.
Summarised scores:
Club Crusoe — 187/8 in 20 overs (N Stewart 47, L Lezama 39, C Vincent 34; D Christian 2/21, K Carmichael 2/32)
Vs
Demerara CC — 192/3 in 19 overs (G Singh 88 n.o., D Christian 42 n.o.; A Nedd 1/21)
—Demerara won by seven wickets
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