TREON Forde, Bernard Bailey and Martin Pestano-Belle all struck patient half- centuries for hosts Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), on the opening day their Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)-organised, Noble House Seafoods-sponsored second division final against Police Sports Club (PSC) at the GCC ground yesterday.

However, the dissent shown by GCC’s Ray Barker marred the innings of the trio who guided their team to a seemingly and imposing 321 before they were bowled out just before the close and in the 89th over of their innings by a spirited PSC bowling attack.
Treon Forde led the home team’s batting with a responsible 86 (11×4), Bailey made 64 (7×4) while Pestano-Belle offered support with a fighting 62 which was decorated with nine fours, after being forced to retire hurt early in his innings.
Winning the toss and batting first, GCC found themselves 15 for 3 as they lost the wickets of Manny Forde (1), Fadil Umraow (3) and Barker who was run-out by an alert Sheldon Agard for 3, before Pestano-Belle and Almando Doman came together.
They added 80 for the second wicket, with Doman’s contribution being 43 (5×4), before Pestano-Belle was forced to retire hurt on 47. He suffered from a bout of cramps, following which both Doman and skipper Devon Lorde (11) were dismissed to leave GCC on 162 for 5.
At this stage, Bailey joined forces with a watchful Treon Forde and they added 95 valuable runs for the sixth wicket, before the dreadlocked Treon Forde who was given a life by PSC’s skipper Fitzroy Culley when on 48 off Kevin Leitch (2 for 79), was lbw to Randolph Knights (2 for 24).
Prior to his demise, Treon Forde said thank you to the lawmen for the let-off, by hitting Leitch for a hat-trick of boundaries in one over, including a glorious extra cover drive while Bailey, who was later bowled by Troy Benn (1-37), also drove Leitch between cover and extra with disdain for one of his seven fours.
The lawmen will commence their reply when play gets under way on the final day today from 10:30hrs, but it was Barker’s response when given out which did not only place a damper on the day’s play, but also set tongues wagging.
Pestano-Belle had driven a delivery from Knights to short extra cover, where Agard did the fielding only to look up and see the 16-year-old Barker way out of his crease, to which he ran and broke the stump, prompting an appeal for run-out that was upheld by umpire Ryan Banwarie.
The 16-year-old Barker objected and remonstrated strongly against his dismissal to Banwarie, in the presence of Guyana Cricket Board Secretary Anand Sanasie and Junior Chairman of Selectors Nazimul Drepaul, even throwing his bat onto the ground before leaving the field in a dejected mood.
When contacted for a progress report on the incident, president of the GCA, Roger Harper, said he was unaware of such an occurrence and referred this reporter to match referee Omar Bacchus, who said he reprimanded the GCC batsman, since it was his first offence.