A FEISTY spell of fast bowling from Kester McAllister and stifling slow bowling by Tathesh Shivrattan undermined what was expected to be a comfortable victory for the home team, Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), on Sunday in the ‘GCA Friends of Cricket 100 Overs’ U-17 tournament.

Although the Malteenoes opening bowlers started the destruction, it was an all-round team effort that ensured it continued.  From ball one, the fielders were diving and sprinting to stop the singles and the pressure did its job.  At one end, McAllister was beating the bat, while at the other end, the off-spinner was frustrating the batmen.

When DCC cracked, they broke into pieces. It started when 16-year-old McAllister bowled Brandon Jaikarran; in a few overs it became three wickets for three runs, then four wickets for five runs.

Although McAllister was the main wicket-taker, Shivrattan was perfect in his line and length. Had it not been for two wides, he could have gone for four straight maidens.

By the lunch break, DCC were 46-6 off of 19 overs with Jonathan Vanlange (10), who stroked the ball well and Jaafar Pinder (16) showing some resistance. The pair had put on 28 for the seventh wicket prior to the break.

The hope of a comeback after lunch lasted a short time as both batsmen fell in the same over and the slide continued.  In the end, DCC were bowled out for 75 runs.

McAllister finished with 3-20 from nine overs, while Shivrattan took 2-11 from seven overs. His spell included four maidens.

Earlier, number six batsman Matthew Jupiter (2x4s) and number eight batsman Y. Seecharran (3x4s) had scored 16 runs each to ensure that Malteenoes passed the three-figure mark.  They were bowled out for 108 in 31 overs.

1. Bobb (2-18 from five overs) and Joel Gilkes (2-12 from four) knocked over the top order and had Malteenoes tottering at 61-6 before Seecharran and Jupiter played a few shots. Left arm spinner Daniel Mootoo finished with the most wickets (3-10) from eight overs. He nabbed two in one over (bowl and caught and LBW) before bowling the last batsman.