GCB/GTM Under-19 Inter-county cricket …
A CONTROVERSIAL end to the final day’s play in the second round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/GTM Under-19 Inter-county three-day match between Essequibo and Berbice at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground, yesterday, overshadowed the scintillating performances of Sherwin McPherson and Joemal La Fleur. Berbice were set a target of 158 after bowling out Essequibo for 151, 45 minutes after lunch, thanks to McPherson’s 5-51 and even though there was a 25-minute interruption for rain, a vintage La Fleur took the attack to the home team’s bowling, hitting an aggressive 58-ball 56 (4×4, 3×6), before the game was stopped by the umpires with victory a mere 13 runs away for the defending champions.
Scores in the match, Essequibo 192 and 151, Berbice 186 and 145-4.
Essequibo resumed the day on 36 for one and lost both overnight batsmen, Christopher Blucher and Kevin Boodie, within the first half-hour of the day, with Boodie offering La Fleur a catch off a lofted drive at mid on without any addition to his score.
Blucher, who had struck McPherson for successive boundaries in the third over of the day, was caught and bowled by the same bowler, who pulled off a stunning one-handed catch diving away to his right, leaving Essequibo on 45-3 and an overall lead of 51 runs.
First-innings top-scorer Anthony Adams (27) joined Keron McLennon (3) who was given two chances by Raun Johnson and Shawn Pereira, but failed to capitalise on them when he was snapped up by McPherson at first slip off Pereira.
At 57-4 and still inside the first hour of play, Essequibo had a lead of 63 runs when Ravendra Mohabir joined Anthony Adams and he fought fire with fire by hitting McPherson for back-to-back boundaries, before he offered the bowler an easy return catch off the first delivery after the water break.
National Under-15 vice-captain Ricardo Adams joined his cousin Anthony Adams at the wicket and they added 36 for the sixth wicket with Ricardo, who was given a life by La Fleur off Pereira at long on, hitting both Pereira and Lloydel Lewis for boundaries.
But when they looked set to see their team to lunch without further trouble, Anthony Adams pushed tentatively forward to a delivery from Pereira, missed and was adjudged lbw for 27 made off 100 deliveries with three fours whilst batting for 88 minutes during his 36-run partnership with Adams.
Vijay Surajpaul joined Ricardo Adams and together they carried Essequibo to 118-6 at lunch and an overall lead of 124 with four wickets remaining, with Surajpaul on 5 and Ricardo Adams 25 against the bowling of McPherson who took 3-39 and Pereira who bowled unchanged throughout the first session to take 2-35.
As is customary, Essequibo batting crumbled after lunch as McPherson picked up his maiden five-wicket haul to bowl them out for 151, ending with 5-51 from 25 overs, while skipper Harrinarine Chattergoon and Shawn Pereira picked up two wickets each for 3 and 49 runs respectively.
Ricardo Adams added six to his lunchtime score, before he was caught by Lloydel Lewis off McPherson, who later had Jamally Odle take an over-the-head catch, to account for Ronsford Beaton, while Chattergoon who replaced Pereira at the Northern End, removed both Neil Ramalho and Kevin Fredericks in the space of four balls to wrap up the home team’s innings.
Set 158 to win off 19 mandatory overs plus the final 15, the defending champions raced to 33 without loss from six overs, with Chattergoon taking a liking to both Beaton and Fredericks, hitting both fast bowlers for boundaries with disdain, including an audacious square cut off Fredericks, forcing Greene to call on his spinners Anthony Adams and Mohabir after six overs.
Mohabir answered the call, when he had Rafael Estriado (7) caught at extra cover off his first delivery before he was struck for back-to-back boundaries by Chattergoon and later on, a six over midwicket by La Fleur before the heavens opened up and rain stopped play five minutes before the scheduled tea break, with Berbice on 56-1, with Chattergoon on 32 and La Fleur 11.
Play resumed at 16:20 h after a damp spot just in front of the popping crease had to be attended to by the head groundsman who was more content on having a verbal exchange with the visiting team’s coach in the hazy conditions.
When play got under way, Chattergoon on-drove Ricardo Adams for four, before a direct hit from Anthony Adams who was stationed at short third man, found him short of his ground at the non- striker’s end.
He departed for a well played 40 that was decorated with seven fours from 62 minutes batting, in which he added 25 for the second wicket with his deputy La Fleur, who took over the initiative after Chattergoon’s departure, with two sixes over midwicket off Anthony and Ricardo Adams respectively.
He raised his 50 from 53 deliveries with four fours and three sixes while batting for 61 minutes and when he departed caught by Mohabir at deep backward square leg off Beaton, Berbice were 129-3 which became 134-4 when Odle was caught by Greene at extra cover off Ricardo Adams.
Lloydel Lewis and Andy Mohan were the two unbeaten batsmen on 9 and 2 respectively and despite indicating their willingness to continue on all three occasions when being asked by the umpires in what turned out to be the final over that took 10 minutes to bowl by Beaton, it was all over for Berbice at 17:49 h, even as Ricardo Adams was about to hand his cap to umpire Hortence Isaacs.

SCOREBOARD
ESSEQUIBO first innings 192
Berbice 1st innings 186
ESSEQUIBO 2nd innings o/n 36-1
H. Greene lbw La Fleur    2
K. Boodie c La Fleur b McPherson    15
C. Blucher c & b McPherson    24
K. McLennon c McPherson b Pereira    3
A. Adams lbw Pereira    27
R. Mohabir c & b McPherson    14
R. Adams c Lewis b McPherson    31
V. Surajpaul not out    25
R. Beaton c Odle b McPherson    1
N. Ramalho lbw Chattergoon    6
K. Fredericks lbw Chattergoon    0
Extras: (nb-3)    3
Total: (all out, off 78.4 overs)    151
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-44, 3-45, 4-57, 5-74, 6-110, 7-126, 8-134, 9-151.
Bowling: Joseph 4-1-4-0 (nb-3), La Fleur 5-1-12-1, Johnson 1-0-2-0, Lewis 10-3-30-0, Pereira 31-10-49-2, McPherson 25-7-51-5, Chattergoon 2.4-1-3-2.
BERBICE second innings
H. Chattergoon run-out 40
R. Estriado c Beaton b Mohabir    7
J. La Fleur c Mohabir b Beaton    56
J. Odle c Greene b R. Adams    22
L. Lewis not out    9
A. Mohan not out    2
Extras: (w-1, nb-2, b-5, lb-1)    9
Total: (for 4 wickets, off 27 overs)    145
Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-66, 3-129, 4-134.
Bowling: Beaton 7-0-37-1 (nb-1, w-1), Fredericks 2-0-15-0, A. Adams 8-0-33-0, Mohabir 3-0-16-1, R. Adams 7-0-38-0 (nb-1).