-Demerara whips Berbice

ONLY TWO batsmen in India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag has ever scored a double century in limited overs cricket history, with both openers doing so against former world champions, the West Indies.

Yesterday at the Demerara Cricket Club ground, opener Kevon Boodie etched his name in the local record books, when he blasted a double century for perennial whipping boys Essequibo in their second round Guyana Cricket Board senior Inter-county fixture against the National Under-19 unit.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Essequibo saw Boodie plunder 21 sixes and 14 fours in his 147 balls 217, which together with Royan Fredericks’45, piloted Essequibo to mammoth 386 for 8 off their 50 overs, against a hapless Under-19 bowling attack.
Ronaldo Ali-Mohammed was the pick of the bowlers with his 2 for 39 for the Under-19 side who recently won the Regional Under-19 T20 and one day titles, before they were bowled out for 157 off 34.2 overs in reply, to hand Essequibo the one sided victory by 229 runs.
First class opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul topscored for the Youth side with 46 (4×4, 2×6), while all-rounder Kemo Paul (33, 3×4; 1×6) and Shimron Hetmyer 20 (4×4) offered support but they found the bowling of Anthony Adams (4 for 15), Homchand Persaud (4 for 29) and Brian Herbert (2 for 36) too much to handle and folded meekly.
Earlier in the contest, Steven Sankar offered Boodie a life at 16, when he grassed a straight forward offer while stationed at slip off the bowling of Balchand Baldeo (1 for 63), to which the stocky wicketkeeper/batsman said thanks to plunder the bowling to all parts of the ground.
He posted his first 100 from 97 balls, counting eight sixes and the same number of fours, while adding 155 for the first wicket with Royan Fredericks, who was bowled by Shiraz Ramcharran (1 for 60), after hitting three fours and two sixes in his 45.
Fredericks’ older brother Norwayne joined Boodie and added 68 for the second wicket, before he too was bowled by Baldeo for 16, while Boodie also witnessed the demise of Ricardo Adams (18 2×6), Royston Alkins (02), and Vijay Surujpaul (12), leaving Essequibo on 327 for 5.
Anthony Adams joined Boodie who was given another life by Sankar, this time at deep midwicket off Paul, with the ball going for 6 to realise his 150, following which he plundered the bowling for six consecutive sixes in three overs, to the delight of his teammates.
Both Baldeo and Damion Waldron were struck for a hat trick of sixes, as Boodie motored to his maiden double ton and what is probably the first from an Essequibian at this level, doing so off 141 balls with 20 sixes and 14 fours.
Tiredness stepped in and Boodie was caught by Chanderpaul at deep midwicket off Ali-Mohammed at 369 for 6, while Essequibo later lost Eknauth Persaud (00) and Anthony Adams who struck three sixes in his 26, as they ended their quota of overs on their final total of 386 for 8, with Herbert unbeaten on 9.
In their reply, Hetmyer started positively with two fours in the first over off Mark Tyrell who was also struck for six by Chanderpaul, before Alkins took a well judged catch at midwicket to account for Hetmyer off Herbert.
Skipper Brian Sattaur, who created history by leading the team to the Regional double, looked authoritative with his extra cover drive off Herbert, followed by six over long on, but the bowler had the last laugh when Sattaur was caught at long on for 17 (11balls, 2×6, 1×4) at 42 for 2.
Chanderpaul and Paul took the score to 118 with their 76 runs third wicket partnership, picking up the singles while hitting the loose balls for boundaries, before Chanderpaul, in his attempt to up the scoring, got an inside edge onto his stumps from Anthony Adams.
From 118 for 2, the National Under-19 were bowled out for 157, as Adams and Homchand Persaud picked up wickets at regular intervals to close off proceedings and hand Essequibo their first win in the tournament, following their nail biting first round loss to Demerara, while Boodie was named Man of the Match.
At the Wales Community Centre ground, Demerara made it two out of two, when they defeated Berbice by 145 runs in another exciting encounter.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Demerara rebounded from the early loss of Andrew Lyght Jr. (05) in the third over, to post 232 for 8, thanks to Shemroy Barrington’s 50 (69balls, 4×4), 49 off 44 balls with eight fours and one six from Trevon Griffith, 43 from Rajendra Chandrika and Paul Wintz’s unbeaten 31.
Devon Clements and skipper Narsingh Deonarine took two wickets each for 25 and 28 runs respectively for Berbice, who in their turn at the wicket were bowled out for 88, with only Seon Hetmyer (18), Anthony Bramble (17), Kandasammy Surujnarine (15) and Krisendat Ramoo (11) reaching double figures.
Left arm spinner Raj Nannan thanked the selectors for having faith in him, with his 4 for 25, receiving support from Steven Jacobs (3 for 22) and Amir Khan who took 2 for 1, as the Berbicians folded meekly on a track that is conducive for spin bowling.
The third and final preliminary round match will be contested tomorrow, with Demerara who are assured of a place in this Saturday’s final, taking on the Under-19 at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, with Berbice and Essequibo fighting for the other spot in the final, when they clash at Everest.

(By Calvin Roberts)