Demerara reclaimed the senior Inter County limited overs title when they beat GT&T Berbice by two wickets at the Everest Cricket Club ground in the final round of the Guyana Cricket Board competition.
The match began at 10.30am. after early morning showers and the game was reduced to 43 overs per side due to the late start.
Demerara won the toss, sent in the Berbicians and restricted them to 163-9 off 43 overs.
The Berbice innings started badly. They lost Sewnarine Chattergoon, bowled by left arm seamer Andre Stoll in just the third over with the score on four and were in further trouble when Assad Fudadin had his stumps rattled by Stoll with the score on 26. Richard Ramdeen set about rebuilding the innings with Gajanand Singh before Singh was dismissed by Amir Khan for 28 made from 57 balls with two boundaries.
Ramdeen perished in the 27th over also to Amir Khan, for a brisk 63 from 70 balls with six boundaries with the score on 108. Berbice’s hero against Essequibo, Clinton Pestano, was the fifth wicket to fall, also bowled by Stoll for just nine with the score on 126.
Berbice eked out a further 37 runs for the loss of four wickets.
Zamal Khan was seventh batsman to be dismissed caught by Shemroy Barrington off the bowling of Robin Bacchus for 23 made from 45 balls with two fours and Bacchus hustled through the lower order to finish with 3 for 21 from 8 overs. Stoll was also impressive with 3 for 25 while Khan took 2 for 30.
Demerara chasing a revised target of 148 reached a shaky 8 for 150 in 34.2 overs.
Keon Joseph rocked the middle order before Robin Bacchus hit 52 with six fours. Bacchus dominated a 48 run stand for the fifth wicket with Joseph Perry, who made just seven.
Zaheer Mohamed made a crucial unbeaten 25 with three fours and one six and was with Stoll at the crease when victory was achieved.
Joseph finished with figures of 3 for 20 from six overs and Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, Krisendat Ramoo and Fudadin took one wicket each for Berbice, while there were two run outs in the chase.
Demerara received $200,000, while the MVP of the tournament went to Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who notched up the only century in the competition against Essequibo yesterday an unbeaten 103 as the President’s XI team reached 196-8 in reply to the 344-7 made by Essequibo.
The Inter County four day competition is set bowl off tomorrow and those matches are expected to be used to select a squad for the Regional First Class 4 day tournament, set to start in February.
