A MAGNIFICENT unbeaten 110 & 4-39 from Man-of the-Match Richard Latif spurred President’s X1 to seven-wicket over Essequibo at Enmore yesterday in the third round of the Hand-in-Hand insurance of the BMC 30 overs O-40 inter-county cricket tournament.
Latif, who in GCA cricket for MYO, stocked 11 fours and five sixes from 75 and shared in a 131-run opening partnership with Bheemraj Ramkellowan who made an important 38 to set their team, who galloped to 172-3 with 37 balls remaining in a game reduced to 25-overs due to late arrival of their teammates.

Latif had earlier captured 4-39 and support from Kerwin Ross (2-11) Chien Gittens (2-47) as Essequibo from 77-6 to reach 171-9 with Latchman Singh hitting an unbeaten 45.
Dharmendra Lachan (38), Mohammed Khan (32) and Vishal Lall (16) were the only batters to pass 15.
In sweltering heat on very fast outfield Essequibo elected to bat and lost Lall, who two sixes and a four before in first over to Giddens at 17-1.
It was soon 26-2 when Giddens bowled Ravi Beharry (0) before Ross removed Fazeer Khan at 28-3.

Latif, bowled well flighted off-spin got rid of Nayisall Pooran (15), bowled Ramesh Narine (1) and had Mohammed Khan caught in the deep as the team from largest and Mineral and Oil rich County 77-6.
Abdool Salim (7) and Bisham Seepersaud was stumped for a first ball duck as Latif was on a hat-trick as Essequibo slumped to 95-8.
Lachan and Singh staged a recovery with 64-run stand before Ross dismissed Lachan at 153-9. Singh who 35 balls in unbeaten 45 saw Essequibo to what seemed a challenging total at the half-way stage.

But Latif and Ramkellowan had other ideas and went after bowing, with Latif in particular being brutal as he flayed the hapless bowlers to parts of the Enmore sward under an almost cloudless sky.
They brought up their century stand before Ramkellowan needlessly tried to hit Mohammed Khan for six and was on the mid-wicket boundary.
Latif reached his from 70 balls with four fours and fours sixes and although Rohan Mangal (2) was lbw to Lachan at 141-2 and Narine trapped Gittens (11) lbw, Deo Ramdat (6) and Latif, who joined former Test batter and Demerara skipper Ryan Ramdass and Berbice and Guyana Stanford T20 batter Imran Khan as the centurions.
Today at Everest, pre-tournament favorites Demerara face Berbice from 11.00 AM.