Sent in to bat Essequibo lost their first five batsmen for a mere 38 runs.
Add the comical dismissal of captain Ramesh Narine; the all out total of 105 and the fact that Berbice 128-1 after only 30 overs have already wrested first innings points and you should get the picture.
Navin Bahadur and Trevon Garraway were the only batsmen who showed any real resistance scoring 29 and 23 runs respectively as Essequibo were routed in only 36.2 overs just after lunch.
Left arm orthodox spinner Veerasammy Permaul snared 5- 36 runs from 13.2 overs.
When bad light stopped play at 17:23 hours Berbice had already secured a 23-run lead going into today’s second day.
Following the dismissal of opener Devon Clements for nine, skipper Assad Fudadin and right handed opening batsman Arthley Bailey, in his debut Inter-County game, featured in an 84-run unbroken second wicket stand.
Fudadin is on 48 from 41 balls with five fours and two sixes and Bailey on 43 from 77 balls with seven fours.
Garraway’s miserly bowling figures of 1-4 from 10 overs are the glimmer of hope that Essequibo will need to focus on when the match continues today from 09:30 hours.
Earlier, Essequibo’s innings commenced at 10:30 hours because of excessive moisture from pre-match preparation and the batsmen’s abhorrence to application soon came to the fore.
They lost Jason Heyliger for six caught and bowled by Permaul in the sixth over when the score was on 15.
Failure to be vigilant then resulted in the team losing three more wickets when the score was 30.
Then, the experienced Narine played a Permaul delivery to short leg; idled outside his crease and was run out for eight by Bailey as Essequibo lunched on 43-5 from 15 overs.
Upon resumption Bahadur and Oyono Sampson played with more control and aggression. The aggressive Bahadur stroked six fours before Sampson was caught pulling on the midwicket boundary.
At 13:30 hours on the water break Bahadur pushed one back to Assad Fudadin and was dismissed for 29 (94-7) after facing 44 balls.
Garraway and Trevon Benn saw their team to the three-figure mark in the 29th over but one run later Benn was caught at forward short leg without scoring by substitute fielder Eugene La Fleur.
Garraway was then trapped lbw playing back to Permaul for 23 from 32 balls with four fours and the innings folded in 36.2 overs when Permaul had Anthony Adams caught behind by Anthony Bramble for zero.
Permaul finished with 5-36 from 13.2 overs. Pacer Keon Joseph (2-34), Fudadin (1-5) and Bess (1-26) were the other wicket-takers.
Berbice started their reply at 14:25 and openers Clements and Bailey looked comfortable. Clements, on the backfoot, cut a Benn delivery sweetly to the cover boundary and though the pair worked up some fierce pace, too many deliveries strayed down the leg side. At tea, Berbice were 27 without loss from 10 overs with Clement on 10 and Bailey on seven.
Berbice progressed cautiously until Garraway struck with the first ball of the 17th over having Clements lbw for nine from 52 balls.
Fudadin and Bailey then took over.
