CGI/GCB Jaguars 50-over Franchise Ricardo & Anthony Adams shine as new champs E’bo skittle defending Champs GT for 55

Sep 27, 2018 Sports

Anthony Adams (right) exhalts after trapping Ovid- Richardson LBW at Bourda to end with 4-26. (Sean Devers photo)

By Sean Devers
In sweltering heat on a fast outfield, Essequibo crushed defending 50-over champs Georgetown by 97 runs in a top of the table clash yesterday to take the title in this year’s CGI/GCB Jaguars 50-over Franchise League with one round still to play.
The Franchise from the Cinderella County needed no help from a fairy god mother to bowl out Georgetown for an embarrassing 55 in 24.1 overs to successfully defend their paltry 152 all out in 43.3 over and avenge their loss to City side in last year’ final at Providence.
Jamaican off-spinner Ramaal Lewis continued his consistent form to grab 3-24 and take his wicket-tally to 11 while leg-spinner Steven Sankar (3-12) and Chris Barnwell (2-21) bowled well as man-of-the-match Ricardo Adams reached the boundary four times in top score of 37 from 60 balls. But only Mark Williams (23) of the other batsmen reached 20 in the low scoring game in good batting conditions.
Ricardo Adams picked up 4-16 including the tournament’s only hat-trick while Anthony Adams who ripped out the top order, finished with 4-26 to leave the Essequibans as the only unbeaten side going into today’s final round.
When Georgetown began their run chase, Anthony Adams removed Raymond Perez (0), Robin Bacchus (1) and Quincy Ovid-Richardson (4) to leave the score on 8-3 as the top order again failed to fire.
When Leon Johnson, the tournament’s leading run-scorer with four consecutive half-centuries and who, along with Barnwell have been doing the bulk of the scoring for the City side, was bowled for four at 22-4 by Akinie Adams, Georgetown were in a deep hole from which they were never able to crawl out.
Barnwell has three fifties in his last four innings and with him rested all hopes of a recovery but just when he was looking threatening on 21 he edged the multi-talented Joshua Jones to Keeper Kemol Savory at 44-5 and it was all over bar the shouting.
Ricardo then sent back Steven Sankar (2), Ashmead Nedd (0) and Qumar Torrington (0) in three balls while Anthony Adams polished off the innings to hand Georgetown their first

Ricardo Adams fends at a short ball from Torrington during his 37 before taking a hat-trick and the man-of-the-match award.

loss. Earlier, GT elected to field and Kevin Boodie and Parmeshwar Parsotan began positively before Barnwell had Boodie (10) caught behind and Torrington removed Parsotan (10) as two wickets fell in the space of three runs to leave the score on 29-2.
Savory (19) and Ronsford Beaton; batting at four, posted the 50 in the 11th over before Beaton played an elegant cover drive for four in his 10, was caught and bowled by Lewis at 54-3. Savory was caught behind off Lewis who had Chetram Persaud caught and bowled for a duck before Ricardo Adams and Anthony Adams (18) put together 47 for the sixth wicket; Sankar got rid of Anthony Adams to leave the score on 106-6.
Marlon Williams offered some resistance with 23 before Sankar picked up two quick wickets and last man Jones (4) fell to pacer Franchot Duncan-Clarke to leave GT with a seemingly easy task of scoring just three runs per over to win but the lads from Guyana’s largest but least populated county had other ideas.
Today, Georgetown will face Lower Corentyne at Bourda while Essequibo oppose West Berbice at Bush Lot.

Ricardo Adams fends at a short ball from Torrington during his 37 before taking a hat-trick and the man-of-the-match award.