Windies girls fire as Demerara beat Essequibo by 186 runs

ON a glorious day for cricket at the lightning fast Malteenoes ground on Friday, Demerara, led half-centuries from the West Indies batters Mandy Mangru and Shelly-Ann Fraser beat Essequibo by 186 in the opening round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Women’s 50-over Inter-County cricket tournament.

Demerara opted to bat on a flat track and openers Niaomi Barkoye, who hit four boundaries in her 50-ball 27 added 107 with West Indies batter Mangru who reached the ropes seven times and cleared it twice in her responsible 81 from 82 balls before Barkoye was run out.

West Indies fast bowling all rounder Shelly-Ann Fraser, who smashed five fours and three sixes in a 52-ball 68 shared in a third wicket partnership with the pint size Mangru; the West Indies ladies joining forces after the attacking Tilleya Madramootoo edged veteran Kumari Persaud to the Keeper.

However, Demerara, who lost their last five wickets for 45 runs, were dismissed for 273 with 8.1 overs remaining.

Yonette Welcome captured 3-48 while Nikesha Narine supported with 2-65 for the ladies from Essequibo bundled out in 22 overs for 88.

Opener Lavina Ragobeer with 20, and the pugnacious Analisa D’Aguiar, who hit leg-spinner Niya Latchman for a four and a six in her 16 were only batters reach double figures although extras contributed 31.

It was always going to be an uphill task for Essequibo after they lost Lauren Willaims (run out) for a duck at 14-1.

When the experienced Kumari Persaud (2) was bowled by Nidia Andrews at 27-2, Navika Narine (8) and Ragobeer tried to play out Fraser, arguably Guyana’s fastest female bowler; and their ploy worked to some extent as Fraser went wicketless in her four overs which cost 13 runs.

However, with the introduction of leggie Latchman and off-spinner Litesha Jordon, wickets tumbled in a heap with seven wickets falling for 38 runs.

When Player-of-the-Match, Jordon bowled the ultra-defensive Narine, who batted for 30 minutes for her eight at 50-3 Latchman (4-24) and Jordon, who celebrates her twenty-fourth birthday today, had 4-16 to slice through the line-up.

Earlier, Barkoye, the tall MSC right-hander was looking set for a big score when Mangru dapped a ball to short third man and took off for a single after the 100 was posted in the 18th over, resulting Barkoye being run out by a direct hit from Williams.

Madramootoo was next to go; three runs later, while Mangru reached her fifty from 48 balls with six fours and two sixes but slowed down a bit as the entertaining left-handed Fraser attacked the bowling without too many problems as the 150 came up in 24 overs.

But just when Mangru seemed set to join West Indies batter Shabika Gajnabi who scored the last century at this level (165 for B’ce v Selectee X1 at Everest in 2019) she flicked Qzel Sampson to mid-on, to leave to score on 167-3.

Fraser continued to play her shots and reached her half-century from 38 balls with five fours and three sixes before she was eventually off D’Aguiar at 228 to trigger a lower order collapse.
The tournament continues tomorrow at the Meten-Meer-Zorg ground in West Coast Demerara with Essequibo facing Berbice from 9:30 Am.