Demerara defeated Berbice by seven wickets in the final at Malteenoes to be crowned champions of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) 50-overs Under-19 inter-county tournament.
Jonathan Van Lange, who is more known for his exploits with the bat, bowled brisk medium pace to claim 7-25 to rock Berbice to 90 all out. Opener Rampersaud Ramnauth top-scored with 19 but the Berbice batters found it difficult to cope with Van Lange.
Afraz Budhoo, who was consistent with bat and ball this season, made 15 for Berbice.
In reply, Demerara reached 91-3 from 32.2 overs with skipper Mavindra Dindyal hitting an unbeaten 31, following up his century in the last round against the same opponent.
Romeo Deonarain struck 22 for Demerara while Kumar Deopersaud 1-11, Matthew Pattoya 1-25 and Afraz Budhoo 1-32 were the wicket-takers for Berbice in a losing cause.
In yet another condensed tournament organized by the GCB, with only three rounds and a final, Dindyal was the leading run-scorer with 151 runs, while player of the final Van Lange had 13 wickets in the tournament.
The players will prepare for a Regional tournament in St Vincent and the Grenadians later this year, where teams across the region will play the three-day tournament and 50-over tournament.
According to reports, the GCB will not host a three-day tournament, but organize three-day matches between two teams to select the final Guyana Under-19 squad.