Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) and the Everest Cricket Club (ECC) will battle for the top honours and the G$500,000 first-place prize in the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Twenty20 Cup.
News Room Sport understands the final will likely be held on the weekend of September 9-10 at the Everest Cricket Club on Camp Road, Georgetown.
It was nervy for both sides, but vastly contrasting match situations on Saturday at ECC.
In the first match, DCC restricted rivals Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) to 85-8 from their 20 overs, with Nkosi Beaton snaring 3-9 from four overs with this off-spin, while seasoned pacer Dexter George took 2-17 with support from Stephan Sankar (1-18) and Carlton Jacques (1-21).
Martin Pestano-Belle (21 from 40 balls), Devon Lord (20 from 23 balls), and Zachary Jodah (18 from 24 balls) propped GCC’s total.
At the halfway mark, DCC was certainly high favourites to book a spot in the final, but they nearly gifted it to GCC.
Former West Indies Youth player Sachin Singh went first ball, leg before, to Joshua Wade, and tensions rose immediately since DCC was missing several key players.
Brandon Jaikaran (13 from 23 balls) and Raymond Perez stablised the chase with a stand of 32 until Jaikaran was dismissed, and Perez followed for 31 (3x4s) from 48 balls at 58-3 in the 15th over.
The run rate was steadily rising above what initially started, and when Jamal Hinckson was dismissed without score and Orlando Giddings went for two, GCC was back in the match.
Beaton took the lion’s share of 17 off a Daniel Seegobin over to rescue DCC from the brink with 28 (1×4;1×6) from 29 balls, as the Queenstown-based side sealed the chase with an over to spare.
Wade and Lord both had figures of 1-12 from four overs.
Everest v MYO
The second semi-final was high scoring with numerous plot twists throughout the match, as at 95-5 in the 14th when Richie Looknauth was dismissed, it did not seem the hosts would post a massive total against Muslim Youth Organisaton (MYO).
However, Clinton Pestano rocked the afternoon with a blazing 55 not out from 18 balls, smashing six maximums and three fours in his assault, and got support from David Williams 28* (2x4s;1×6) from 21 balls.
The two added 87 in just 38 balls for the sixth wicket.
Suresh Dhani took 2-37 from four overs, while Sheldon Alexander (1-10), Omesh Danram (1-32) and Leon Swammy (1-39) were the other wicket-takers.
MYO’s batsmen got starts, and few went on to produce a score to match Pestano’s hammering.
Alex Rodrigues (26), Alexander (25), and Safraz Essau (20) all got in but quickly got out.
The hard-hitting Damion Vantull threatened to pull MYO from the brink with a brisk 43 from 18 balls, striking three sixes and the same amount of fours until the left-arm spin of Akshaya Persaud bowled him.
Persaud, who didn’t trouble the scores, ended with 3-24 from 3.5 overs, while Pestano returned to take 2-23 and Looknauth 2-38.
