Hemraj and Pestano hit first round centuries
-DCC, TSC, ECC and GNIC win

TRANSPORT Sport Club’s Ryan Hemraj and Georgetown Cricket Club’s Martin Pestano-Belle were the first two batsmen to chalk up centuries when action in the third annual Georgetown Cricket Association/New Building Society second division 40 overs competition bowled off yesterday.Hemraj scored 124 to steer TSC to 283 for 9, to which GCC replied with 223 for 9 innings closed, despite Pestano-Belle’s 101, when the two sides clashed at the Muslim Youth Organization ground, even as Demerara Cricket

Club, Everest Cricket Club and Guyana National Industrial Corporation recorded first round wins.
At MYO< TSC batting first saw Hemraj and Charwayne McPherson posting over 100 for the first wicket, with Hemraj hitting 13 fours and nine sixes in his 124, while McPherson struck five fours and one six in his 46.
Sunil Singh offered support, hitting six fours in his 37 while Azim Azeez struck three four sin his 21, as skipper Devon Lord took 3 for 53 before departing to attend a wedding, Samuel McKenzie 2 for 14 and Dellon Fernandes 2 for 44.
When GCC batted after being forced to do so without the services of Lord, only Pestano-Belle with his 101 that included 14 fours and one six and Bernard Bailey 52 with nine fours, offered resistance to TSC’s birthday boy Joel Spooner, who celebrated his 14th birthday by claiming 3 for 26 to bowl his side to a 60 runs victory.
At the DCC ground in Queenstown, rain reduced that encounter to 28 overs a side, to which MSC won the toss and asked their host to take first strike, bowling them out for 144 in 26.4 overs.
Shurfane Rutherford led the batting with 33 (4×4, 2×6), Dennis Squires supported with 27 (3×6, 2×4) and Renaldo Renee made 21 (3×4, 1×6) as Delon Darymple took 4 for 48, Vishal Narayan 2 for 10 and Shaquille Moseley 2 for 18 for MSC.
In their turn at the wicket, the visitors were bowled out for 96 in 18.2 overs, after being forced to contend with the pace of Rutherford from one end and an all spin attack which was led by national Under-15 left arm spinner Ashmead Nedd who took 4 for 11.
Moseley topscored with 22 (2×6, 1×4) after being struck in the chest region by Rutherford, who later took two catches in the deep to back his performance with the bat, while Keifer Naughton supported him with 13 (3×4).
No other MSC batsman could come to terms with the guile of Nedd and Squires who ended with 2 for 28, as DCC completed the win by 48 runs.
At GNIC, Ace Warriors made a return to competitive action after two years and were bowled out for 128 by Everest Cricket Club, who in reply raced to 130 for 4 inside 17.2 overs to win by six wickets.
Romario Nepal topscored with 25 (5×4), Keyron George made 24 (3×4, 1×6), Dellon Azore 13 (2×4) and skipper Afzal Gafoor 12 (2×4) for Ace Warriors, as K. Ramdeen took 5 for 33, R. Sattaur 3 for 26 and Javed Rasheed 2 for 22 for Everest who in reply saw Bhola hitting 11 fours and two sixes in his 58 and Ramdeen seven fours in his 43 as they reached their target, despite Azore’s 3 for 17.
At the Police Sports Club ground, Christian Husbands’ 5 for 42, which was complemented by Orlando Kirton’s 3 for 42 and T. Thompson 2 for 37, enabled GNIC to bowl out the home team for 197 off 39.3 overs.
K. Griffith topscored with 40 (3×4, 2×6), Rawle Enmore, formerly of TSC and Ace Warriors, supported with 32 that included four fours, J. McAlmont made 25 (2×4) and Trevor Benn 22 (2×6, 1×4) for PSC, who saw GNIC on the back of Quincy Ovid Richardson’s unbeaten 73 (5×4, 1×6) reached 200 for 8 in reply.
Stephon Campbell supported Richardson with his 32 (2×4) while Jason George got 26 against the bowling of Benn, who took 3 for 23 and Vishal Jaigobin’s 2 for 28.
Action in this tournament continues today with Ace Warriors taking on GNIC at GNIC, with Zaheer Mohamed and Clyde Layne doing on-field duties; UG will travel to MYO under the watchful eyes of Chetram Persaud and Joseph Jeffrey, and Sophia will take on Diplomats at UG, with Ryan Banwarie and Deon Feassal umpiring.

(By Calvin Roberts)