–Georgetown, East Bank among victory seekers

By Clifton Ross

FOLLOWING their strong statement made in the opening round, reigning champions, Essequibo, will be looking to make it 2-0 when they square off against Upper Corentyne today at the Everest ground.

Round 2 could be even more exciting as the Cinderella County team looked ominous from the get go. Playing like Champs in all 3 departments, Essequibo drew first blood in their bout versus a strong Georgetown team on Sunday at Bourda.

Wicket-keeper batsman, Kemol Savory, showed his class with a solid half-century, just missing a ton and will be the key batsman in this match against the Berbice franchise.
Guyana/Windies pacer Ronsford Beaton tapped into his old self to bag the MVP award after hitting top pace as his return match saw him snuff out 5 for 18. Upper Corentyne could be in for the same treatment from the speedster, given their sad performance in the last match.

Essequibo’s batsmen will need to step up; namely the extremely dangerous pair of Ricardo Adams and Kevon Boodie, who will be looking to rebound after failing in the opening game.
The bowlers will rally around Beaton with Skipper Anthony Adams and his brother Akinie sharing four wickets in game one and could be a handful on the Everest ground, especially with the ocean breeze pushing in.

Alex Algoo was the shining light for Upper Corentyne with 63 but his side was defeated by 9 wickets in a one-sided match against West Demerara.
Without the services of the Guyana Jaguars duo, Clinton Pestano and Anthony Bramble, at the moment, the Berbice franchise will need more from national players, Kandasammy Surujnarine and Shawn Perriera, while veteran spinner, Eon Hooper, will have to step up against the dangerous defending champs.

On the other hand, Leon Johnson and his Georgetown team will be seeking a rebound when they play a confident West Demerara side at Tuschen.
Johnson and his men looked shaky, a far-fetched image of how they could really perform but with seniors in Johnson, Chris Barnwell and Robin Bacchus not having their best games, this could be the ideal match the trio need to get their series going.

East Bank, who were beaten by 38 runs in their Duckworth/Lewis influenced-game against Lower Corentyne, will be aiming for a rebound when they play a confident West Berbice unit at Bush Lot.

Meanwhile, Lower Corentyne will look to keep their winning streak alive when they face East Coast in their home turf at the Enmore ground.
Weather permitting, matches will commence at 9:30hrs.