HAVING struck his maiden first division ton in his team’s first innings, 15-year-old Shurfane Rutherford returned yesterday afternoon to blast his way to an unbeaten half-century, which placed Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) in the driver’s seat of their drawn encounter against their hosts Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC).The two were meeting in a Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)-organised, Hadi’s Mall Inc.-sponsored two-day first division contest at the GCC ground, where the home team who began their first innings on their overnight score of 33 for 0 in reply to DCC’s 393 for 5 declared, were bowled out for 230.

This was mainly due to Paul Wintz’ 5 for 61 and Antonell Atwell’s 2 for 50 which rocked their hosts’ batting after they were 135 for 3 at lunch, having lost Wasim Haslim (14), Robin Bacchus 43 (7×4) and skipper Leon Johnson, who was caught at short midwicket by Jamal Hinckson off Atwell, when well set on 27 that included two fours and six.
After the break, Martin Pestano-Belle 33, Ellon Fernandes 26, Ricardo Mohammed Ali 21 (4×4) and Treon Forde 20 tried to offer resistance to the bowling of Wintz, but failed to do so, enabling DCC to take a firs-innings lead of 163 runs, which they increased to 367 in their second innings when bad light stopped play.
Rutherford, who had struck 14 fours and two sixes in his first-innings score of 111, belted the home team’s bowling around the ground hitting nine fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 79, while Andrew Lyght Jr. struck six fours and two sixes in his 64.
National all-rounder Christopher Barnwell was also in a pugnacious mood, following up his unbeaten 150 in the first innings, with an authoritative and unbeaten 38 n the second, decorated with six fours and one six, hitting three fours and the lone six in one over from Bacchus, just before the close.
At the Malteenoes Sports Club ground, the home team lost first-innings points to the visiting Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) lineup, having won their previous game against Transport Sports Club at the same venue last weekend.
Batting first on the invitation of their hosts, GNIC scored 202 all out with Dexter Solomon 37 (3×4, 2×6), Troy Thompson 31 (2×4), Jermaine Grovesnor 28 (3×4) and Alistair Ifill 22 (3×4) leading their batting.
MSC skipper Kellon Carmichael took 4 for 35 and Shaquille Williams offered support with 3 for 42, but their team were bowled out for 134, after being 53 for 3 overnight, with Jamal Norton topscoring with 37 (5×4) and Carmichael hitting seven fours in his 32.
Ifill returned with the ball to take 3 for 30 and got support from Desmond Butts (2 for 9), Royston Simon (2 for 30) and Collis Butts 2 for 34, who all bowled a tidy line and length for GNIC, who scored 110 for 7 declared in their second innings, with Ejaz Mohamed hitting 51 (5×4, 1×6) and Ranole Bourne an unbeaten 44 (6×4, 1×6).
Cordell Mars took 4 for 52 and Williams 2 for 24 for MSC who were 31 without loss at the end of the contest.
Written By Calvin Roberts