The Eccles All-Stars, led by some destructive hitting from Quazim Yusuf, gunned down 180 to stun Diamond Gunners in the East Bank/West Demerara zone final in the Kares One Guyana T10 Tapeball Blast.
On Sunday at the Eve Leary Sports Club, fans were left in awe as two renowned tapeball teams produced a classic heavyweight battle for a spot in the national finals.
At the halfway stage in the final, Diamond certainly had one foot on the accelerator to the stadium after former national youth player Sagar Hatiramani struck 144* from 45 balls, with two fours and 20 sixes.
The left-hander shared the bulk of the opening stand as Ricky Sargeant made 26* from 15 balls, which ended with an imposing 179-0 after 10 overs.
On the side of history, Sargeant was the first player to score a hundred in the tournament in 2023, and since then, they have been four more, with Hatiramani’s epic being the highest to date.
The other centurions are Ricardo Adams (2024), Qauzim Yusuf (2025) and Ganesh Puran (2025).
Eccles, the inaugural champions of the tournament in 2023, found championship success again as Yusuf produced an exhibition of clean hitting against anything in his path.
He only dealt with sixes, 20 of them in total, as this 131* from 38 balls backed by Akeim Vieira 29* and Jonte Thomas 15 saw them reach 180-1 in just 8.4 overs.
Eccles won $300,000 as zone champions, Diamond received $100,000 as runners-up, and Hatiramani was awarded $15,000 for setting a new record in the tournament’s history. Ganesh Puran also collected $15,000 as he previously held the record.
Eccles will now face Montra Jaguars in the first semi-final of the national finals on August 3 at the National Stadium, Providence.
Both sides will await the East Coast/Georgetown Zone winner, who plays on July 19 and 20, followed by Essequibo on July 26-27.
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