WBD humiliate ECD
DESPITE losing their first five wickets for 49 runs, West Bank Demerara (WBD) rallied to humiliate the more illustrious East Coast Demerara (ECD) by 27 runs in their Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)-organised Demerara Inter-Sub-association Under-19 matchup at the Police Sports Club ground yesterday.
Asked to take first strike by their opponents, WBD recovered to score 185 in the rai-reduced encounter, before bowling out ECD for 158 in 38.4 overs to complete the humiliation. Fast bowler Royston Simon (2-39) engineered the early batting collapse WBD suffered, when he removed skipper Chandrika Persaud without scoring with the second ball of the match, which left his opponents batting lineup that was missing the formidable Arvin Seepersaud with an uphill task.
Gavin Suknanan who took 2-20, backed Simon by removing Randy Yankarran (0) and Michael Mathura (4) in the 13th over of the 48 overs-a-side contest.
Resilient batting from Chanderpaul Persaud (9) and Naveed Ali (25), saw the pair add 36 for the sixth wicket, before they were both dismissed by Premchand Sookdeo (2-35), but not before Ali struck Arif Habib for all three sixes that decorated his innings.
At this time, the 16-year-old Seepersaud who attends the Leonora Secondary School, arrived at the venue after writing his CSEC exams, and, following another careful examination of the situation, added 50 important runs for the 10th wicket with Travis Cato who struck two fours and one six in his 19 before he was run-out.
Apart from extras topscoring with 58, inclusive of 49 wides, Seepersaud led his team’s batting with an unbeaten 30 (3×4) and received support from Ali and Cato.
Suknanan, Sookdeo and Simon took two wickets each for 20, 35 and 39 runs respectively for ECD, who found it difficult to get past their opponents’ total in their reply.
Daryl Fredericks 27, (2×4, 1×6) and Ryad Zaman 22 (3×4) added 54 for the first wicket while Habib, who led his team’s batting with 36 (3×6, 1×4) and Steve Ramdass 18 (2×4) added a further 55 for the third wicket, but it was not enough to prevent their team from being humiliated.
Yankarran returned to take 2 for 5 from 4.4 overs and along with Julio Jones (2 for 7), Chandrika Persaud (2 for 16) and the man who dismissed Habib Zafar Sookah (2-37), engineered ECD’s collapse and defeat, much to the joy of their teammates on and off the field.
The third and final round of the tournament which is being used as a yardstick to select the Demerara Under-19 Inter-county team, bowls off tomorrow and Thursday with WCD opposing Georgetown at the Guyana National Stadium on Wednesday, while ECD and East Bank Demerara will meet the following day at the same venue. (Calvin Roberts)