By Rajiv Bisnauth

KEEMO Paul punished the Select Under-17 bowlers with an aggressive unbeaten century to lead Essequibo to a comfortable 56-run win in the second round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)-sponsored Hand-in-Hand Insurance Company Under-19 one-day cricket tournament yesterday at the Everest Cricket Club ground.Paul smashed a 120-ball 156 and added 147 with Leslie Allen for the eight-wicket in 15.2 overs as they helped Essequibo reach a challenging total of 231-8 in 44 overs.
Essequibo bowlers were fantastic thereafter, as they ripped apart the Under-17 batsmaen for 175 in 42.4 overs.
Off-spinner Looknauth Chinkoo (3-19), left-arm spinner Akinie Adams (2-23) and pacers Paul (2-40) and Reaz Khan (2-30), were the principal wicket-takers.
Joshua Persaud stroked a patient 58 in their reply, but the run chase was always a stiff task, after they were reduced to 55-4 in 15 overs.
Paul, the Essequibo skipper, had won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a surface that would get slower as the game progressed.
However, that decision backfired, with Essequibo in peril on 74-8, but the West Indie youth player then played a lone destructive hand, hitting 15 sixes and eight fours in his innings.
Essequibo could not get a good start as Nathan Persaud (0) was run-out in a bizarre mix-up with Mark Williams in the fourth over with just eight on the board.
Williams and Siddiq Mohamed were patient in their approach, going for singles, but Williams broke the shackles, hitting Joshua Jones for the innings’ first boundary in the eighth over.
Essequibo then lost Mohamed, caught at the wicket off leg-spinner Tameshwar Motiram (3-21) for seven before a short sharp shower sent the players scampering off the field at 36-2.
The Select Under-17 bowlers emerged from the break re-energised, and claimed the wickets of both Williams and Sachin Persaud in the space of five balls.
Williams was caught at first slip off Motiram for 13, while Persaud was taken at the wicket off medium pacer Collin Barlow (1-4) for six.
Essequibo batsmen at that point continued to find it difficult to penetrate the bowling, and on the heavy outfield, scoring was difficult.
Paul and Adams took the score to 62 before left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd (2-15) removed both Adams (4) and Jonathan Fernandes for one.
Things went further downward for the Essequibians when Motiram bowled Chinkoo without scoring and Kevin Sinclair (1-46) trapped Miguel Jones leg-before wicket for six.
But Paul’s assuring presence at one end not only pulled Essequibo out of the slump, but also gave them a decent total.
Paul was dropped on 82, but the right-hander was unperturbed by the incident and decided to counter-attack, reaching his hundred with three consecutive sixes off 105 balls.
The 18-year-old stepped up the run rate further and soon completed his 150 off 119 balls. Allen remained unbeaten on seven.
In the run chase, Bhaskar Yadram and Sachin Singh added 34 before Singh retired hurt on 16, but Reyon Venture, who joined Yadram went caught and bowled off Chinkoo without scoring.
Adams then removed Yadram for 19 before Chinkoo claimed the wickets of Steve Deonarine (5) and Sinclair (0) with consecutive balls to leave the score at 55-4.
Singh, who resumed his innings after the dismissal of Sinclair, added 53 for the fifth-wicket with Persaud, but their hopes of an outside victory ultimately perished when Adams bowled Singh for 39.
Essequibo then lost their last five wickets for just 24 runs. Sagar Hetheramani (10), Persaud , Nedd (0), Motiram (1) and Joshua Jones (14) were the batsmen dismissed in quick succession.
Meanwhile, torrential overnight and continuous rain at Wales saw the other second round game between Demerara and Berbice washed out without a ball bowled.
The third round is scheduled for tomorrow.