Berbice & Demerara locked in intriguing battle on day one

By Sean Devers
THE opening day of the first round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Government of Guyana (GOG) and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) three-day U-19 tournament at Everest yesterday saw 16 wickets tumbling.

Defending Champions Berbice were 111-6, still 11 runs behind Demerara’s 122 all out when stumps were drawn.

Mavindra Dindyal and National U-19 captain, Alvin Mohabir, picked up two wickets as Tomani Ceaser (32), Rampertab Ramnauth (22) and Hemendra Gurdayal (14) all wasted starts.

Earlier, Demerara lost Jaden Campbell (3) caught at slip off Isiah Thorne from a quick, short ball that got ‘big’ on him at 16-1 before Lawrence Pellew, who reached the boundary twice in 12, fell to off-spinner Johnathon Rampersaud at 31-2 while Mohabir (2) was removed by Rampersaud at 37-3.

Dindyal played well for his 20 with four boundaries and was looking the best of the home team batters on a track with bounce which produced prodigious turn.

But when set, Dindyal pushed forward to left-arm spinner Jeremey Sandia, failed to keep the ball down and was taken at short-leg at 43-4 before Anthony Khan was caught and bowled by Sandia for a duck.

By Lunch, with their best batter already dismissed, Demerara were in a precarious position on 60-5. But with Shamar Yearwood unbeaten on 10, there was still hope of the home team posting a challenging total.

After the interval, Yearwood (10), who has played at the senior inter county tournament, played an irresponsible shot and skied off-spinner Leon Cecil for Zeynul Ramsammy to hold the offering on the square boundary.

But fast bowling all-rounder Phillips hit eight fours and a six from 86 ball and almost two hours of batting in an entertaining 57 while Krisna Singh fell to Thorne for a duck, Anthony Lim (1) was removed by Cecil and Rudranauth Kisson fell for no score off Sandia. Nehemiah Hohenkirk was left unbeaten on six.

Sandia had 3-33 while Thorne, Rampersaud and Cecil had two wickets each for Berbice.

Meanwhile, at Bourda, 14 wickets fell as Essequibo reached 51-4 in reply to the GCB Select X1 209 all out.

Kevin Kisten scored 63 from 86 balls with four fours and two sixes while Ezekiel Wilson made 55 from 85 ball with seven boundaries but only Nityanand Mathura with 27 of the Select X1 batters offered fight.

Aryan Persaud had 5-69 and got support from Myhiem Khan who got 3-29 while Josh Charles had 2-26 for Essequibo who lost four quick wickets before the close.

Shaahid Vieira is unbeaten on 28 while Khan made 15 as Dillion Ramsaroop has so far taken 2-20.

Today is the second day in both matches and play is scheduled to commence at 10:00am