HOSTS, Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), must be a happy lot after they dominated proceedings at the end of the first day’s play of the GISE/Star Party Rentals/Trophy Stall First-Division two-day match.

At the close yesterday, the hosts were 274-2, replying to GDF’s first-innings 87 all out. They have already amassed a first-innings lead of 187, heading into today’s final day, which starts at 09:30hrs.

Opting to bowl on a dry GCC wicket, it took only three of the home side bowlers in a combined effort of just 23.3 overs to dismantle their opponents.  Seamers Bernard Bailey (3-7) and Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed (3-15), along with Stephan Wilson (3-9), did the damage.

GCC gained the early momentum after the fall of Leon Andrews, who was bowled by Bailey for just eight. Thereafter, the visitors suffered a collapse to crash to 18-5 with Bailey claimed the wickets of Demion Waldron (0), and Terry Fraser (2), while the former Guyana Under-19 captain, Ali-Mohamed accounted for Kurt Lovell (6) and Randy Lindore without scoring.

At that point, David Rajmangal, who remained unbeaten on 33, came to the rescue and shared 15 and 39 runs respectively with Damion Whitney (14) and Joshua Jones (18), the only other two batsmen to reach double figures.

Wilson did the most damage during the second half of the innings, claiming three of the last five wickets.

GCC’s top four batsmen then built on the early advantage, with each hitting contrasting half-centuries.

Openers Robin Bacchus and Jeetendra Sookdeo put together 124 for the first wicket before Mavindra Dindyal and Guyana Jaguars captain Leon Johnson shared in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 150 until the close of play.

Bacchus, the 30-year-old, who played his lone List A game for Guyana back in 2014, struck a 69-ball 70 with three fours and three sixes while Sookdeo made a 73-ball 56 (2×4, 3×6).

However, by the time both fell to Andrews, the hosts were in full command of the game. Johnson followed up his 154 last week against the University of Guyana with an unbeaten 70 (4×4, 2×6), while Dindyal, who was one of three Guyanese who toured with the West Indies Under-15 squad recently to the UK, was 60 not out with five fours.