By Elroy Stephney

ONLY five batsmen have scored senior inter-county centuries while representing Essequibo, with the first being Jeff Jones and the last was Ramesh Narine. The others are Ramcharran Singh, Dinesh Joseph and Troy Cornelius.

While former West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan was born in Wakenaam and made several inter-county centuries, he never represented Essequibo.

The prestigious tournament has now been disbanded by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and replaced by a franchise system which now has more teams; instead of only involving the three representative counties.
National all-rounder Keemo Paul made a century during last year’s franchise tournament representing Essequibo; a feat which will not be considered in the same context and included in the privileged list of centurions.

Among the five quality batsmen, two played at the National level. Troy Cornelius was

appointed captain of the Youth team while Ramesh Narine wore national colours at the T20 level.
Interestingly though, opener Dinesh Joseph remains Essequibo’s finest batsman of any generation. His class, technique, immense powers of concentration and his ability to play both pace and spin with authority were unique qualities which could have easily made him a national product in any other country.

He stood as Essequibo’s premier batsman for many years and his 110 against Demerara at LBI was quite an innings to behold. He was so dominant at the crease exhibiting his rasping square cuts and forceful front-foot drives that his only moment of discomfort was when he exited via run-out.
Joseph literally ruled the roost of ‘batsmanship’ in Essequibo and remains the only batsman in the county to score a double-century in a 50 overs inter-committee competition. While he was distinctly the best, his fellow villager Ramcharran Singh was charismatically quite flambouyant. He too was an opener and scored most of his runs on the back foot with power, precision and timing.

Singh eventually migrated to North America at a time when his career was beginning to blossom, thus denying him a possible opportunity to represent his country. His masterful 108 was made against Demerara at Bourda.
While Joseph and Singh were aggressive batsmen, Troy Cornelius was an accumulator of runs. He relied mainly on his tested technique and durability to build an innings. His temperament was sound which allowed him to pace his innings beautifully as he did against Berbice on his way to a majestic 110 at Albion. He too migrated while still very young.

No other batsman among the list took as many risks as Ramesh Narine. He was so confident about his talent that his stroke-play was seemingly extraordinarily careless! His ability to demoralise bowlers especially spinners was the trademark of the exciting manner in which he batted. He loved scoring boundaries and his brilliant 116 against Demerara at Enmore was studded with well-timed shots that regularly either touched or cleared the ropes.
Narine perhaps has the most runs and may have played the longest too at the inter-county level for Essequibo.

It certainly was a momentous occasion as wicketkeeper Jeff Jones became the first to score an inter-county century. His monumental feat stood as a record for almost two decades before Ramcharran Singh joined the club.
Jones played during the late 1970s and at a time when the competition was invigoratingly intense. His memorable innings was also extra special, since he made it when there was no formal coaching.
However, Jones was naturally gifted and his towering 113 against Demerara included the qualities of a batsman who emerged as the pride and passion of Essequibo’s cricket at that time.

Ironically though, the present state of the game in the county has lost the enduring promise and chemistry which Jones had possessed.
Three other senior players reached in the 90s including Alfred Maycock (98 against Demerara) while Norman Fredericks 93 and Jaimini Singh 92 not out were scored against Berbice.
Notwithstanding, the five batsmen have left indelible marks in the history of Essequibo’s cricket and their achievements cement them in an elite club of proud centurions.