NATIONAL opener Rajendra Chandrika was the lone bright spark on a rain-curtailed day yesterday, when the second round of action in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) four-day Inter-county championships got under way at the Demerara Cricket Club and Wales Community Centre grounds respectively.

In Queenstown, Chandrika struck an unbeaten 52 which guided newly crowned GCB limited overs champions Demerara to 101 for 1 against the President’s XI, while at Wales, Essequibo who were precariously placed at 23 for 3, reached 55 without further loss when play was called off at 15:35hrs in their encounter against GT&T Berbice.
Asked to bat first by the opposition, Demerara raced to 42 without loss when play was first stopped at 11:04hrs following a late start, with Chandrika on 21 which included four fours, including two off Gilford Moore, and Robin Bacchus 20 with four fours, three of which were also struck off Moore in one over.
When play resumed at 15:15hrs, Bacchus was given a life by Elton Baker, who grassed a straightforward catch at third slip off the lively-looking Seon Daniels, who three balls later, got the umpire to raise the dreaded finger, after trapping Bacchus lbw, with the left-handed opener falling face forward after being struck on the pads.
It was sweet revenge for Daniels, who in his previous over was struck for a six over backward squareleg by Bacchus, who made a run-a-ball 33 with five fours and one six while batting for 71 minutes, bringing Shemroy Barrington to the wicket on his demise.
Another a rain interruption at 16:35hrs forced the players off the field for the final time but not before Chandrika realised his half-century from 79 deliveries, hitting nine fours and batting for 120 minutes. Barrington was unbeaten on 13, while Daniels has taken one for 33 from 12 overs.
Over at the Wales Community Centre ground, Clinton Pestano (2 for 32) rocked Essequibo early in the day, as the Cinderella County lost Norwayne Fredericks (7), Royan Fredericks (5) and Wayne Osborne (9), before Herrel Greene who struck three fours in his unbeaten 14 and Ricardo Adams who made an unbeaten 6, carried them to 55 for 3 from 16.3 overs.
Rain also stopped play in that encounter at 11:32hrs and after several inspections by the umpires, the first day’s play was brought to an end at 15:35hrs.
Weather permitting this morning, play in both matches is expected to get start at 09:00hrs.