In the opening encounter of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Women’s Inter-County T20 tournament, Berbice, led by their bowlers, dismantled Essequibo to win by seven wickets in a low-scoring match at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) Ground yesterday.
In brilliant sunshine just after midday, Berbice skipper Shemaine Campbell won the toss and decided to insert the Essequibians to bat. Campbell’s bowlers justified her decision by maintaining a stranglehold on their opponents, who had no answers.
While openers Lauren Williams and Lavina Ragoobeer soldiered on for the first five overs, they found scoring tough, and the latter was dismissed for trying to get a move on. She was caught by Tieaa Isaacs off the bowling of Sheneta Grimmond for one run off 19 deliveries.
Her dismissal was the opening that Berbice needed and exploited. With Essequibo on 19, Shabika Gajnabi struck twice in successive deliveries, trapping Williams leg before wicket (LBW) for 12 and bowling the skipper, Nikesha Narine, for a duck to leave Essequibo 19/3.
From that point, the remaining seven wickets folded for just an additional 25 runs as Grimmond added another two wickets to her tally while Ashminie Munisar snared a couple, with Plaffiana Millington, Tricia Hardat, and a run-out accounting for one each.
While Grimmond snared 3/12 from 2.5 overs to end as the leading wicket-taker, Gajnabi had an incredible haul of 2/2 from her two overs as Essequibo were bundled out for 44 (14.5 overs) in just under an hour.
In response, the Berbicians chased down the target in just 6.4 overs, with Grimmond leading the way with an unbeaten 13-ball 22 that included four crisply timed boundaries.
At one point, Essequibo looked like they might cause some hiccups after seamer Cyanna Retemiah had opener Realeanna Grimmond caught at long-off for one in the first over with the score at just three.
However, the other Grimmond, Sheneta, brought a sense of calm to the crease even as her side lost two more wickets along the way to victory. Both of them fell to seamer Yonette Welcome, who dismissed Crystal Durant via LBW for six and bowled Isaacs for seven.
Sheneta and Gajnabi (3 not out) steered Berbice to victory without further loss, ending on 45/3 (6.4 overs).
For her role with the bat and ball, Grimmond was adjudged player of the match. The tournament continues today as the Essequibians will face Demerara at the same venue at 1:30 p.m.
