Shemroy Barrington with two half centuries and skipper Stephen Jacobs with a 11-wicket match haul yesterday engineered an exciting four-wicket, come-from-behind win for Malteenoes Sports Club in their semi-final clash of the Guyflag three-day first-division competition against Everest at Camp Road.
Everest batted first and scored 331 to which Malteenoes replied with 281.
Batting a second time Everest were destroyed by the off-spinner Jacobs who grabbed 7-46 from 23. 4 overs as Everest crashed to 149 in their second innings.
Malteenoes, set 200 for victory reached their target in 38.1 overs.
In the Everest first innings score Rajendra Chandrika top-scored with 66 which included five fours, while wicket-keeper batsman Joseph Perry chipped in with 57 not out.
Chris Patadin, who put on 98 for the fourth-wicket with Chandrika, scored 44 with four boundaries and one six while Perry and Troy Gonsalves enjoyed a seventh-wicket partnership of 68.
Gonsalves slammed five fours scoring 43; Sauid Drepaul scored 39 and skipper Surendra Hiralall 30 as most of the Camp Road side got good starts.
Jacobs picked up 4-63 for a match haul of 11-119 while Jeremiah Harris claimed 3-49.
Malteenoes in their first innings were tottering on 95-5 of which Shemroy Barrington scored 54 with six fours before Harris with 80 and Clive Andries with 72 effected a late-order recovery.
The two batsmen put Malteenoes back in contention with a seventh wicket partnership of 123.
Rakesh Goberdan picked up 5-73 and Sauid Drepaul 2-55 to lead the bowling for Everest.
Jacobs then ripped through the Everest second innings with only Gonsalves,33, Drepaul, 28 and Patadin and Parsram with 23 each offering any resistance.
Malteenoes then raced to their target with Barrington who ended on 85 not out spearheading the victory charge. Delroy Jacobs chipped in with 40 and Imran Hassan, 29.
Meanwhile at Lusignan a century from teenager Vishal Singh put GCC in the driving seat.
At the close the Lusignan team needed 319 to win; they begin their second innings today. GCC batted first and scored 229 all out of which Wasim Haslim topscored with 63, Carlos Jadunauth, 44, Singh 39 and Trevor Henry 37.
Narvan Singh was Lusignan’s best bowler picking up 5-50, while Krishna Deosarran and Vishnu Ramjeet claimed two wickets each.
GCC then dismissed the home side for 155 earning a lead of 74. Krishna Deosarran slammed 78 including eight fours and two sixes while Vishnu Ramjeet scored 39 with five fours as off-spinners Cleon Belgrave 3-20, Ravi Sarwan 3-25 and Ricardo Jadunauth 3-44 combined to gain the sizeable first innings lead.
The announced fixture between Cornelia Ida and Lusignan had to be changed. According to Ian John secretary of the Demerara Cricket Board, the newly elected chairman of the competition committee Krisenchand Mangal, made a mistake in his calculations and placed Cornelia Ida, instead of the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), who were second in the points table in the semi-final.
The mistake was discovered and the announced match was cancelled on Friday, and the GCC versus Lusignan semi-final started Saturday continued yesterday and will conclude today.
