Motie-Kanhai shines as Berbice dethrone Demerara
LED by a solid all-round performance from national Under-15 leg-spinner Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, Berbice were able to dethrone defending champions Demerara in the final of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)-organised Castrol-sponsored Under-15 Inter-county tournament at the Demerara Cricket Club ground yesterday.
Winning the toss and opting to take first strike in hazy conditions, the Ancient County team, who has never won this title, must have regretted doing so after they were bowled out for 123 from 39.1 overs, but their bowlers, led by Motie-Kanhai, returned to bowl out Demerara for 114 from 48.2 overs, to complete a nine-run victory.
When Berbice batted, they were rocked by the bowling of Vishal Narayan and Devon Lord who both took three wickets each, for 4 and 19 runs respectively, with Narayan sending down 4.1 overs and Lord 10.
They were shakily placed on 40-3 in the ninth over, having lost Quincy McPherson (8), Romario De Jonge (4) and Shimron Hetmyer who struck three fours in his 20, before skipper Shawn Pereira (9) and Shalendra Shameer (17) added 25 for the fourth wicket from 6.2 overs.
But once Lord removed both Pereira, who was stumped by wicketkeeper Prince Roberts in the 16th over, and Shameer who was caught at slip by Brian Sattaur, Berbice were precariously placed on 83-5 in the 20th over of their innings.
However, Motie-Kanhai, who displayed his ability to bat in his team’s two matches against Essequibo, did so with an innings top score of 22 which included one four and, along with the lower order, guided Berbice to an eventual match-winning total of 123 before they were bowled out in the 40th over of their innings.
Fast bowler Dexter George offered support to Narayan and Lord by taking 2-20 for Demerara, whose innings got off to a pugnacious start, as their openers Sattaur and Martin Pestano-Belle who both made 12, added 22 for the first wicket from just two overs.
Pestano –Belle struck two fours in his innings, while Sattaur was in his usual destructive mood, hitting fast bowler Nial Smith for three boundaries in his lone over, the second of the team’s innings before he was run-out in bizarre fashion.
Pestano-Belle had driven a delivery from Pereira, who ended with 2-16 from 10 overs of controlled leg spin, back along the pitch, and a deflection from the bowler’s fingers found Sattaur, who was backing up, out of his ground.
Twelve-year old Tagenarine Chanderpaul, the son of Guyana and West Indies middle order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, replaced Sattaur and displayed occupation of the crease, while facing 83 deliveries for his 16.
At the luncheon break, Demerara were 33-1, but lost Pestano-Bell who was lbw to Pereira when play resumed, and he was quickly followed by Andrew Gibson (1), which left Demerara on 35-3 in the 14th over of their innings.
Chanderpaul was joined by Kamesh Yadram 34 (5×4) who took the attack to the Berbicians, when he struck Parmanand Narine for two boundaries in one over, with the final one posting his team’s 50 in the 22nd over.
But he saw the demise of Chanderpaul who was caught by McPherson who did a good job deputising for Berbice’s regular wicketkeeper Nazarudeen Bux, by taking two catches and effecting a stumping off Shameer, leaving Demerara on 63-4.
Ryan Chichester (6) was used as a pinch-hitter by coach Gavin Nedd and he did so effectively by hitting his third delivery from Motie-Kanhai over long on for a maximum, before he got a thin edge through to McPherson from the next delivery.
Narayan (4), Yadram and Roberts (1) were quickly sent back by Motie-Kanhai and Pereira and when Terrence Alstrom who batted at number eight, was stumped by McPherson off Devon Baldeo (2-3), Demerara, who needed 14 runs from 24 balls, were 112-9.
Baldeo wasted no time in finishing off the innings, when he had George (2) caught by Smith, who had earlier dropped a head high chance offered by Alstrom while stationed at long on, off Pereira. He settled under a top edge as the batsman attempted to hit the ball somewhere over midwicket, to start the celebrations on and off the field.
Suffice to say, while the sponsors pumped over $1.6M into this year’s tournament, all that was issued at the simple presentation ceremony which followed approximately 30 minutes after the win was achieved, was the winning trophy to the victorious skipper Shawn Pereira.