Wins for Georgetown and East Coast
BOTH finalists in the 2009 Demerara Cricket Board (DCB)-organised NALICO/NAFICO-sponsored Under-15 Inter-association competition, Georgetown and East Coast, started their 2010 campaign with comfortable victories over West Demerara and East Bank Demerara respectively yesterday.
Playing at the Providence ground, East Coast easily disposed of East Bank by eight wickets, thanks to Brian Sattaur’s belligerent unbeaten 89, while at the Canal Number Two ground, defending champions Georgetown crushed West Demerara by 141 runs.
At Providence, East Coast, winning the toss and asking their opponents to take first strike, reduced them to 64-6, before Addel Salem who made an unbeaten 36 (3×4) and Kevin Plant 35 (3×4) added 72 for the seventh wicket.
Medium pacer Travis Persaud took 3-18 for East Coast who rode on the back of Sattaur’s innings which was decorated with nine fours and Kamesh Yadram’s unbeaten 21, as the two added 115 for the third wicket to see their team to 145-2 from 26.2 overs, after Nateram Teekaram who took 2-20, reduced their side to 30-2.
At the Canal Number Two ground, Georgetown were asked to take first strike after they lost the toss, but thanks to Martin Belle’s 63 (6×4, 3×6), Andrew Gibson 42 (2×4), Tagenarine Chanderpaul 31 (5×4) and Terrence Alstrom 27 (2×4, 1×6) reached 239 before they were bowled out in the 50th over of their innings.
Chandrika Persaud and Akshaya Persaud took two wickets each for 30 and 42 respectively for West Demerara, who were bowled out for 98 from 23 overs, with Chandrika Persaud returning to hit 20 (4×4) and Rafeek Nazier  16 (1×4) against the bowling of Steve Sankar and Dexter George who took 3-25 and 2-25 respectively.
The competition will continue on Monday, with East Coast facing Georgetown at the Demerara Cricket Club ground, while West Demerara and East Bank will clash at the Canal Number Two ground, with both matches commencing at 09:30 h.