Demerara remain unbeaten with convincing win over Under-19

JOINT defending champions Demerara kept their unbeaten record in this year’s Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) senior Inter-county limited overs title intact, following a convincing seven-wicket victory over a hapless National Under-19 lineup at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground yesterday.

The Brian Sattaur-led youth team won the toss and opted to take first strike in hazy conditions, one they probably regretted when they lost Tagenarine Chanderpaul (0) off the fourth ball of the innings, caught at the wicket by Shemroy Barrington off Paul Wintz.
It was a blow from which they never recovered, as Wintz, Christopher Barnwell and Seon Daniels reduced them to 48 for 6, before Kemol Savory scored an unbeaten 59 and Damion Waldron (6) added 44 for the seventh wicket.
It helped revived the team who two weeks ago had won the Regional double, as they were bowled out for 125 off 29 overs, to which Demerara replied with 127 for 3 from 19.3 overs, thanks to Trevon Griffith’s 51 and an unbeaten 28 from Barnwell.
When the Under-19s batted, they saw Shimron Hetmyer (1) go in similar fashion like Chanderpaul, with the bowler being Daniels (1 for 21) at 7 for 2, before Brian Sattaur 8 (1×6) and Kemo Paul 6 (1×4) added 20 for the third wicket.
But from 20 for 2, the Under-19s slipped to 48 for 6, losing Paul, Sattaur, Ashkay Homraj (1) and Shiraz Ramcharran, before Savory and Waldron brought some respectability to their team’s innings with their partnership that was broken when Waldron was lbw to Raj Nannan, followed quickly by Steven Sankar (0) who was dismissed in similar fashion off the next delivery.
They got to 100 from 25.3 overs with Savory on 39 and extras contributing a healthy 33 – all wides – before Savory got his well deserved half-century off 66 balls with five fours and followed it up with a six and four off Nannan, before the innings was closed.
Asked to bat nine overs before the lunch interval, Demerara raced to 78 without loss with Griffith on 46 that included seven fours and a six struck over long off, off Nial Smith even though he lost his footing in the process and Robin Bacchus 23.
After the break, Demerara lost Bacchus who was caught by Paul at deep midwicket off Keon Morris (1 for 31) for 29 (4×4), before Griffith posted his 50 from 41 balls without any additional boundaries. He was bowled first ball by Waldron (1 for 9), looking to sweep, for 51 (43 balls, 7×4, 1×6).
Barrington never looked comfortable against the all-spin attack that was employed by Sattaur and, having survived a confident shout for a catch at the wicket off Ramcharran to which the umpire surprisingly said not out, he lost his off stump to Sankar, who was struck for four by Barnwell to seal the win two balls later.
Barnwell, who struck Ramcharran for four and a six that sailed over the GCB’s office at the Southern End of the venue, was unbeaten on 28 (21 balls, 3×4, 1×6) and had Rajendra Chandrika as his partner on 1 when victory was achieved.
At the Everest Cricket Club ground, Berbice, who hoisted the title together with Demerara last year after rain washed out the contest, made a mockery of Essequibo who were coming off a high following their 229-run win over the Under-19s in the previous round.
Batting first, the Cinderella County were bowled out for 163 inside 46.3 overs, which marked a recovery after they were stuttering on 46 for 5, having lost Kevon Boodie (0), Norman Fredericks (0), Royan Fredericks (2), Ricardo Adams (9) and Vijay Surujpaul 12 (2×4).
Debutant Anthony Ifill 29 (2×4) and skipper Anthony Adams 49 (3×4; 1×6) repaired the damage with their 38-run sixth-wicket partnership, before Ifill, who plays for Gandhi Youth Organisation in Georgetown, was lbw to Narsingh Deonarine.
Adams added 32 with Eknauth Persaud 45 (3×4, 3×6) before Deonarine removed Adams, courtesy of a Devon Clements catch, even as Persaud went on to add 41 for the ninth wicket with Mark Tyrell (8), to bring some respectability to the Cinderella County team total.
Romario Shepherd-DeJonge who started the slide with national fast bowler Keon Joseph and Deonarine, all ended with three wickets for 27, 39 and 36 runs respectively, for Berbice, who saw Kandasammy Surujnarine 31 (4×4) and Anthony Bramble 38 (4×4) posting 58 for the first wicket.
Deonarine, who made an unbeaten 39 (3×4, 1×6), Clements 23 (2×4), Jonathan Foo 17 (3×4) and Rajiv Ivan 3 not out, steered Berbice to 164 for 4 off 37.1 overs in reply, even though Anthony Adams did his valiant best to keep his side in the hunt for an upset win, by claiming 2 for 33.
The final of this tournament will be contested this Saturday at the Albion Community Centre ground, with Berbice hosting Demerara.\

(By Calvin Roberts)