John Adams Wins Their 4th NYC High School Championship !
June 15 Saturday was a beautiful day for cricket in Queens, NYC even if it wasn’t in many parts of England at the World Cup. The 12th New York City High School (PSAL) Championship took place and a familiar team, John Adams HS was there again, in a repeat of last year’s Finals when they defeated Jamaica High School. This was the 9th Final for John Adams going for their 4th Championship win, whereas Jamaica was still trying for their 1st win in their 2nd Final. 35 High Schools played in the League this year, like last.
America’s 2nd President, John Adams would have been proud of the school named after him, especially being a cricketer himself back then with George Washington and other Founding Fathers. The field itself was where dinosaurs once roamed, and dinosaur skeletons were found here.
The best under 19 lefty batsman in USA, Avin Gangadin opened with Mohammed Shah, and surprisingly it was Shah who took it to the bowlers whilst Ganagadin held his end. When Shah was caught at 65, he had smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes in his 42 and gotten his team off to a good start after 9.5 overs. But it was time to turn on the afterburners and Tamesh Persaud, the nation’s best leg spinning all rounder, was the man to do it, his 20 came off 10 balls with 3 fours and 1 six and John Adams was 101 for 2 at 12.2 overs when he left, the RPO up to 8.28 from 6.8.
No one else scored much as Gangadin made 52 in 50 balls, 5 fours and 2 sixes but Extras scored 32 whilst 20 runs came in the final over. Not surprisingly both numbers were to prove difference making at the end. Tabib Barna bowled really well taking 4 wickets for 30 runs.
Jamaica had a magnificent start of 115 by Ashraful Samrat and Barna 33 at a RPO of 8.20 which was just below the required Run Rate of 8.65. It was a run out by Gangadin that made the brreakthrough but Jamaica was still in control, and Gangadin later said his team was a bit down at this point. The mystery was why Andre Bissoondyal had not been brought back yet after giving away 20 runs in his first over.
But Gangadin struck again, getting Redwan, Jamaica’s Captain stumped by Daniel Mangru. At this point with 44 needed off 24 balls the pendulum was swinging John Adams way. By the time Samrat went,caught and bowled by leg spinner Tamesh Persaud, for a tremendous 88 in 69 balls with 3 fours and 8 sixes, it was over for Jamaica bar the corpulent lady singing. Coach Alex Navarette had steered his boys to their 4th title in 9 years and 6 Finals, whilst Jamaica HS Coach Mithun Nandikishore had another great season which, for the 2nd year, ended with defeat in the Finals. Persaud had 2 wickets for 31.
Smarat, Barna, Persaud and Gangadin were tremendous performers but this writer felt Gangadin was the match MVP. As usual there were NO USA under 19 selectors present to take a look at a league that has 600 youth playing each spring, and each year produces a couple of the best under 19 cricketers in the country but none are ever selected for USA.
After the game, season Awards were presented by Assistant Administrator Lorna Austin and Commissioner Bassett Thompson. For the first time ever the Finals was streamed Live, presented by American College Cricket and Cricclubs, as well as scored online by Cricclubs so the Full Scorecard can be found here https://cricclubs.com/americancollegecricket/viewScorecard.do?matchId=1093&clubId=3456
American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah attended as he usually does, and also did commentary together with Lenny Achaibar and Carl Bennett – 2 dedicated servants of the game who also did commentary on the first ever Live Stream of cricket in USA back in 2010 at the American College Cricket National Championship.
The Live Stream can be found on the American College Cricket Facebook page, for anyone who missed it, or wants to see the action again.
