–Essequibo builds 149-run lead over Select Under-17 team

DEFENDING champions, Demerara commenced round two of their battle in the 2018 GCB/Hand in Hand Insurance Under-19 inter-county tournament at the Lusignan Community Centre ground against Berbice on Sunday, 14th April, 2018.

Demerara in their first innings racked up 148 all out in 49 overs. Bhaskar Yadram top scored with 43 off 53 balls, while Adrian Hinds supported with 35 and Dwayne Dick 17.
Berbice captain, Kevin Sinclair was a force to be reckoned with, claiming 4 wickets for 17 off 10 overs. Keith Simpson picked up 2 for 38 while Javed Karim, Leon Swamy, and Kevin Umrao chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Berbice, at stumps, were 102 for 5 in 29 overs. Captain Sinclair was the only batsman to make a half century, scoring 58 off 45 balls while Alex Algoo helped with 15. Kevlon Anderson remained not out on 16. Bowling for Demerara, Ashmead Nedd ripped out the top order, collecting 4 wickets for 41; Dwayne Dick was the other wicket taker.

Over at Everest, Essequibo continued their quest, adding 29 runs to their 261 overnight total. Joshua Jones scored an acceptable 34 off 54 while Joel Fortune was not out on 22. Essequibo in their first innings scored 290 all out in 98.5 overs. Sylvian Williams picked up 3 for 48 while Marvin Prashad walked away with 3 for 74.

Select Under-17 in their reply failed to reach their target and fell cheaply for 144 in 89.3 overs. Navendra Persaud top scored with 52 off 228 balls, while Ameer Singh and Captain Sachin Singh supported with 32 and 26 runs respectively. Joshua Jones and Joel Fortune were the highlights of the day, tearing through the Select Under-17 batting line up, collecting 5 wickets each for 45 and 20 runs, respectively.

Essequibo commenced their second innings with 3 runs off 2 overs which gave them a 149-run lead at the end of day two.

Monday 16th April, 2018 will witness the final day of play between Essequibo and the Select Under-17 team, while Demerara will continue doing battle with Berbice on the second day of their game at the said venue from 10:00 hours.