B/ce, E’bo in must-win clash

Berbice skipper Sewnarine Chattergoon yesterday said that despite his team’s narrow three-wicket defeat to Demerara in the second round match of the Guyana Cricket Board Pepsi Senior inter-county tournament, the mood in the camp was still positive.

Berbice and Essequibo will meet today at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, Bourda with the winning team set to oppose Demerara in the final on Sunday.

Yesterday, Chattergoon, the former West Indies opening batsman spoke to Stabroek Sport ahead

Sewnarine Chattergoon
Sewnarine Chattergoon

of his team’s encounter against the Cinderella county boys, who also suffered a loss in their first game to the defending champions, Demerara.

According to Chattergoon, the team needs more partnerships at the top of the order pointing out that himself and Shimron Hetemeyer fell cheaply in the match against Demerara.

He noted that despite the gutsy batting by the middle and lower order batsmen his bowlers added to his team’s woes by bowling too short.

Chattergoon, though, lauded the Demerara players for their performances.

He is of the opinion that the game could have gone either way and any team could have come out victorious  but added that the champs “held their nerve.”

Speaking of his form, Chattergoon said he was pleased with his form over the past month and has been among the runs domestically but acknowledges that he will need to contribute more at the top.

Berbice will, however, take a few positives out of their match against Demerara. Fast bowler Keon Joseph was noticeably hostile in Tuesday’s game and picked up a few wickets and will be aiming to replicate the performance in today’s game, while Devendra Bishoo’s all-round performance showed that the leg-spinner’s three-week stint with spin stalwart Saqlain Mushtaq, has definitely paid off to some extent.

His compatriot, Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai will not feature in today’s match due to his recent West Indies U19 selection and the encampment which commenced yesterday. The aggressive opener Hetmyer, who is also in camp, will also be missing in action.

But Berbice Coach Hubern Evans confirmed that the two West Indies selectees will be replaced by batsman Kevin Ramdeen and all-rounder Krisendat Ramoo, both that will have big shoes to fill in their respective departments.

Their opponents Essequibo will be seeking to bounce back from their heavy 100-plus run defeat in the first game and have limited standout performances to take into this encounter. The skipper Rayon Fredericks looked good at the top of the order playing his shots freely and confidently, while his partner and wicket-keeper/batsman, Kevon Boodie who struck an aggressive half-century, will need to maintain his form as well.

National all-rounder Kemo Paul showed maturity and took the fight to the opposition in scoring a half-century while left-arm spinner Herry Greene was the pick of the bowlers.

Essequibo was also dealt a crucial blow with left-hand all-rounder, Ricardo Adams being handed a three-month suspension by the GCB due to indiscipline.

Today’s must win game for either side is set to bowl off at 9:00am.

Essequibo squad reads: Rayon Fredericks (Captain), Anthony Adams (vice-captain), Dillon Heyliger, Jason Heyliger, Ricardo Adams, Herry Greene, Sheldon Alexander, Mark Tyrell, Vishwanauth Lall, Kemo Paul, Vijay Surujpaul, Gilford Moore and Ricardo Peters.

The Stand bys: Norman Fredericks, Hamant Beharry, Rajio Balgobin, Keanu Harry, and Jadesh Dindyal.

Berbice squad: Sewnarine Chattergoon (Captain), Shimron Hetemyer, Romario Shepherd-DeJonge, Jonathan Foo, Rajiv Ivan, Anthony D’Andrade, Anthony Bramble (Wicket-keeper), Devon Clements, Jomal LaFleur, Devendra Bishoo, Keon Joseph, Gudakesh Moti-Kanhai and Eon Hooper.

Standbys: Jason Sinclair, Krisendat Ramoo, Clinton Pestano, Kevin Ramdeen, Shawn Pereira and Waqar Hassan.

The team Manager is Albert Smith and Coach is Hubern Evans

The Manager is Otto Christiani and Coach Vibert Bailey.