Demerara romped to an easy seven wicket win over the U17 Select XI as the opening round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Hand-in-Hand three-day
Inter-County competition concluded at the Wales Community Center ground, yesterday.
Demerara had taken a first innings lead of exactly 100 runs after Man-of-the-Match Ronaldo Renee scored 67 to help them reach 190 all out replying to the Select XI’s first innings score of 90 all out.
Batting a second time, leg-spinner Ershad Ali (4-45) and off-spinner Keshram Shabodan (4-16), restricted the U17’s to 160 all out.
Sven of the dismissals were leg before wicket decisions.
Needing just 61 to win, Demerara, in their second innings, ended on 64-3 with Malcom Hubbard 24 not out and Kelvin Shewpersaud 12 not out. Although the chase turned out to be relatively simple in the end, Demerara were given a scare by left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd (2-25) and Kelvin Umroa (1-14) who made inroads quickly.
Nedd and Umroa ripped apart the top order to give their team hope Of defending the low score. First, opener Raymond Perez (15) was out lbw off Umroa. Nedd then accounted for the wickets of Renee (05) and Sherfane Rutherford (05) who was dropped a few deliveries before by Kevin Sinclair.
Shewpersaud and Hubbard, however responded by going on the attack, opening up with an array of aggressive strokes to bring up the Demerara 50.
Needing just five runs for victory, Hubbard clobbered Sinclair for a huge six to seal a win for his team.
Earlier, Ali’s haul helped pulled things back significantly and despite resuming on 58 for 2, the U17 side found it difficult to cope with the leg-spinner. Adding to his first day victims, opener Javed Karim (15) and Joshua Persaud (00), Ali removed night-watchman Anthony Antonio for a defiant 15.
Shabodan, who removed opener Bhaskar Yadram for 16 on day two, trapped Kevin Sinclair, the other overnight batsman for a composed 23 and followed up with the wicket of by Alphius Bookie who was bowled by Ali for six. Reeling at 90 for 6, Kurt Lovell (22 not out) and Sagar Hatheramani (44 not out) joined forces as lunch approached to take the score to 159 for 6.
When play resumed both batsmen succumbed to Shabodan. Lovell was trapped leg before wicket the first ball after lunch while Hatheramani was bowled. The skipper Ronald AliMohammed (2-21) brought the innings to a quick end, pinning both Nedd (00) and Barlow lbw for ducks as the U17 select lost their final four wickets inside two overs.
Over at the Enterprise ground, Essequibo thumped Berbice by an innings and 60 runs after off-spinner Looknauth Chinkoo ended with eight wickets, (3-39) in the first before returning to bag 5-39 in the second innings.
Essequibo, who made 246 in their first innings with skipper Keemo Paul Scoring 85, knocked over Berbice for 93 in the first innings to gain a lead of 153.
They then dismissed the Berbicians for 93 again in their second innings with Joel Seeteram (18) being the top-scorer.
Round two bowls off tomorrow with Berbice playing Demerara at Everest and Essequibo versus U17 at Bourda.
