THE Guyana National Stadium located at Providence, East Bank Demerara, is known to be one of the fastest-drying cricket venues in the Caribbean, but persistent showers on Sunday afternoon curtailed any hopes the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) had in running off their final preliminary round matches in this year’s Carib Beer/Pepsi-sponsored four-team Twenty20 tournament.
Not a ball was bowled in the Cellink Berbice/Rest Team matchup, which would have served as a dress rehearsal for the final which will be played on Friday night at the same venue, since both teams have qualified for same.
The second match of the evening featured Demerara who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in their first-round match against defending champions Cellink Berbice, followed by a humiliating 30- run loss to the Rest Team the previous day, and Essequibo.
This match got under way, but after four balls were bowled, the heavens opened up forcing the players off the field for a short while and when they returned, there was a problem with the bowler’s run-up at the Media Centre end of the ground.
When play started, the game was reduced to 12 overs a side and Demerara lost Rajendra Chandrika (2) caught at the wicket by Kenzo Baksh off Sherwin Murray in the second over and while new batsman Jamal Hinckson was making his way to the crease, the heavens opened once again, forcing the officials to call off the match at 20:46h. At the time Demerara were 9-1 with Christopher Barnwell on 7 not out.
Demerara and Essequibo will clash in the third-place playoff match on Friday, following which defending champions Cellink Berbice and the Rest Team will do battle for supremacy.