Foo, Smith star as Lower Corentyne

snap Essequibo’s winning streak

By Clifton Ross

JONATHAN Foo clobbered 86 while pacer Nial Smith grabbed 4 wickets as Lower Corentyne derailed Essequibo’s unbeaten streak, handing them a 2-wicket defeat.

Playing at the Young Warriors ground in Berbice, the defending champions ran into a hostile Smith who followed his 6-for a few games ago at Bourda with another good haul of 4-54 to keep Essequibo to a modest 197-9.

Captain Anthony Adams continued to show his all-round class with a defiant 50, Essequibo’s top score with opener Kevon Boodie (34), wicket-keeper Kemol Savory (32) and Quintin Sampson (37) accounting for the bulk of the remaining runs scored.

The fairy-tale run would come to an end for Essequibo who suffered their first defeat in four matches thanks to the fiery spell of Smith who is now among the leading wicket-takers. Man of the Match, Foo, grabbed two wickets before leading the tense run chase.
The former Guyana batsman was again the finisher for his franchise, playing a champion innings which came after his team lost early wickets, putting their chase in chaos before Foo brought calmness to the middle.

Seemed tailor-made for a crisis, the right-hander punished the bowlers as his 86, which came with seven fours and four mighty sixes, required a mere 92 balls.
Spinner Akinie Adams continued his good bowling form with two wickets as the other Essequibo bowlers toiled for the first time in the tournament.
With two fifties under his belt, Boodie got off to an aggressive start by smashing 34 from 32 with five fours and a towering six before being caught by Lower Corentyne skipper, Veerasammy Permaul.
Out-of-form Parmesh Parsotam (05) had his stumps soon rattled by the left-arm spin of Permaul, who was introduced into the attack.

Permaul then unleashed the fury of Smith who immediately found his groove. The speedster removed another out-of-form batsman, David Williams, for a two-ball duck before iron-man Savory resisted.

Savory, Essequibo’s best batsman this season, was forced to play a more gritty innings as his runs came from 85-balls, further exhibiting his ability to dig in if needed.
One of the leading run-scorers of the tournament, the keeper hit a solitary six and a four but was soon removed by a rampaging Smith who had him caught by wicket-keeper Jason Sinclair.

The dangerous Sampson continued to be a menace with the bat, smacking five fours and was backed up by Ronsford Beaton who hit one six and a four in his vital run-a-ball 32.
Things would then go south for the defending champions after the lower-order rescue pair fell, with Smith removing Sampson and Beaton being run out by Junior Sinclair; it proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Essequibo innings.
The penultimate round bowls off tomorrow.