Demerara find themselves in a must-win situation going into their final preliminary round match in this year’s Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/GTM-sponsored Under-19 three-day Inter-county tournament when they face defending champions Berbice over the next three days at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
In their first round match against Essequibo, Demerara who lost first innings points to the host were struggling to save the game at 132-8 chasing a victory target of 148 when bad light stopped play. Berbice dominated the same opponents and recorded an outright victory.
Coach of the Demerara team Orin Bailey in an invited comment told Stabroek Sport that he is looking for an improved performance from his charges in this encounter as he feels they have what it takes to record the necessary victory.
“While there are some signs of concern over our batting which has been caused by inadequate practice sessions, I know that once the batsmen go out there and apply themselves we can get a decent total on the board which will give the bowlers the opportunity to get the wickets we need to complete the win,” Bailey said.
“The saddest thing to note is that there are over nine grounds in Georgetown and the team cannot get one to facilitate a practice session. We have entered this tournament unprepared because of the weather and when there is good weather, the unavailability of grounds is another issue we have to contend with.”
Demerara skipper Jeetendra Sookdeo has made himself available for this encounter which is crucial to his team winning the tournament. But he was denied the honour of leading his side by the junior selection panel of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB).
This means that Lusignan Cricket Club’s Rajendra Nikbarran who led the team in the limited-overs tournament will be doing so today and will be looking to his national Under-19 players in Trevon Griffith and Totaram Bishun for much-needed support.
But apart from those two, Nikbarran can also call on the services of opener Ryan Rajmangal, Quincy Ovid Richardson, Kishan Shivgobin, Dellon Fernandes and all-rounder Andre Stoll who has shown vast signs of improvement with the bat lately.
Wicketkeeper Dexter Solomon is no rabbit with the bat but his performance lately has left much to be desired and his wicket keeping has also seen better days. Carl Rambharose can defend himself sternly with the bat in hand.
The bowling will be led by Stoll and national Under-17 fast bowler Seon Daniels along with Rambharose and Bishun. National Under-17 spinners Amir Khan and Ricardo Devers will lend valuable support to the new ball bowlers.
The Berbice batting will rest on the shoulders of Manoj Pooranauth, whose responsible 94 took them to first innings points against Essequibo before they claimed the outright victory.
With Alex Amsterdam, Eon Hooper and skipper Anthony Bramble, all capable batsmen themselves, the Demerara bowling lineup will have a hard task on their hands to claim the 20 wickets they need over the next three days to complete the win which will wrest the title out of the Berbicians’ grasp.
Their bowling will be led by national Under-19 fast bowlers Keon Joseph and Keyron Fraser, with support from Sherwyn Mc Pherson, Trinson Carmichael and Foo, who picked up 15-94 against Essequibo.
Teams for the match which gets underway from 10:00 hrs will be chosen from:
Demerara: Rajendra Nikbarran, Trevon Griffith, Quincy Ovid-Richardson, Ryan Rajmangal, Kishan Shivgobin, Dellon Fernandes, Delroy Charles, Dexter Solomon, Ricardo Devers, Amir Khan, Totaram Bishun, Andre Stoll, Seon Daniels and Carl Rambharose.
Berbice: Anthony Bramble, Eon Hooper, Harrinarine Chattergoon, Joemal La Fleur, Manoj Pooranauth, Seon Hetmyer, Jonathan Foo, Alex Amsterdam, Trinson Carmichael, Sahadeo Somai, Keon Joseph, Keyron Fraser, Sherwin Mc Pherson and Terrence Madramootoo.
