– Demerara beat Berbice by 76 runs.

ESSEQUIBO relied on their bowlers to script a comfortable 18-run win over the National Select Under-15 team yesterday, in round two of the GCB’s Inter-County Under-17 one-day tournament at the Lusignan Community Centre ground.

Chasing a 139-run target, the Under-15’s were cruising at one stage before the innings fell apart. They were eventually bowled out for 120 in 49.4 overs. Off-spinners Badesh Parsotam and Manoj Dasrath shared seven wickets between them to the run chase.
Parsotam claimed 4-11 to earn the Man-of-the-Match award, while Dasrath had 3-15.

Earlier, Essequibo recovered from 34-4, to post a challenging total of 138-8. Ameer Singh and Saeed Hack were the joint-top scorers with 41-apiece. Left-arm spinner Jeremey Sandia claimed 4-16, but it was a total bowling effort by the National Select Under-15 bowling unit.

Essequibo openers Wasim Mohamed and Singh had negotiated a nervous 7.2 overs but their hard work was undone by medium pacer Thaddeus Lovell (1-14), when he trapped Mohamed leg before wicket for five.

That dismissal set an Essequibo slide into motion with Sandia been the chief destroyer.
Sandia brought on as the first-change bowler, responded to the challenge by trapping Sheldon Charles leg before wicket before he bowled Azim Mohamed and Lance Roberts. All three batsmen perished to a series of poor strokes without scoring.

However, Singh, who had looked quite at ease right from the start, found a resolute partner in Hack, as the duo put together 47 runs for the fifth wicket.
At that point, it looked like a launchpad for the Essequibians, but the dismissal of Singh in the 33rd over, sucked the momentum out of innings.

The right-hander found the ropes on two occasions, and after occupying the crease for 87 balls, he was trapped leg before wicket to Romel Datterdeen (1-10).
Sylvian Williams (6) failed to deliver and was removed by Jonathan Rampersaud (2-25), but Hack and Badesh Parsotam (13), then carried on fluently in a partnership which was worth 39 runs.

Parsotam was stumped off Rampersaud while Romario Stephen was bowled by Sandia just before the overs came to an end.
The National Select Under-15’s started strongly in their run chase with openers Mahendra Gopilall (14) and Nicholas Rajpat (16), settling nicely after getting a measure of the pitch and the bowlers to produce a first-wicket stand worth 42 in 14.2 overs.

However, they lost both openers along with Ajay Gainda (2) to spinners Manoj Dasrath (3-15) and Roberts, at 46-3.
Datterdeen (12) and Rampersaud (26), then added 31 for the fourth-wicket, but the wicket of Datterdeen saw the Under-15’s remaining batsmen crumble.

Meanwhile, in the other second round game, Demerara beat Berbice by 76 runs.
Demerara 160 all out. Andre Seepersaud (32), Sachin Singh (23), Navindra Persaud (22) and Yeudisteer Persaud (18), were the principle scorers. Bowling for Berbice, Nigel Deodat claimed 4-33, while Marvin Prashad (2-26), Gourav Ramesh (2-35) and Doorasammy Mahdeo (1-16), the other successful bowlers.

In reply, Berbice failed to reach their target as they fell cheaply for 84 runs off 33.5 overs. The only batsman to offer resistance was Seon Glasgow, who top scored with 21. Nyron Bissu bowled exceptionally well for Demerara, claiming 4-11 to win the Man-of-the-Match award.

Fellow spinner Hrititik Singh picked up 3-27 while Dwayne Dick, Sachin Singh and Wayne Bollers collected a wicket a piece.
The final round is scheduled for tomorrow.