JOSHUA Wade’s destructive 30-ball 73 and 2-25 was not enough to prevent Blairmont Blazers, led by a useful all- round performance from Rajiv Ivan, from beating GCC by 70 runs on Monday at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Ground, Bourda in a feature 40-contest between the two first-division teams.
The match was organised by GCC President Jonathon Yearwood and Blairmont Sports Club’s Head Shabeer Baksh when very little First-Division cricket is being played in Georgetown and Berbice.
Scores: Blairmont 264-9, GCC 194 all out in 38 overs.

Blairmont Blazers, located on the West Bank of Berbice won the toss in scorching heat and opted to bat on a track which offered plenty of bounce and ‘good carry’ to Keeper.
Blairmont which produced two West Indies players (Roy Fredericks and Brandon Bess) of the 50 Test players from Guyana, had a 39-run opening stand before Chris Harry removed Shamar Angel (9).
After Nigel Deodat who made 27 with four boundaries before he was dismissed, Zeynul Ramsammy and Rajiv Ivan batted confidently on a heavy outfield to put together 61 for the third wicket.
The right-handed Ramsammy ‘ran past’ a ball that turned away from him and was stumped off skipper and left-arm spinner Devon Lord. He hit two fours and a couple of sixes in his 34 and his demise left the team from Region 5 on 112-3.
The 38-year-old Ivan who played two 50-over games for Guyana in 2013 soon reached his fifty but was removed by Lord for 54 with two fours and three sixes.

Seon Glasgow (37) fell when looking set, Abdul Ramsammy scored an unbeaten 33 and Shakir Saffie blasted a cameo 22 from nine balls with a four and two sixes to power the Berbicians past the 250 mark.
Harry took 3-56, Lord had 3-31 and Wade with 2-25, did the damage for GCC, the oldest Cricket Club in the Caribbean.
GCC were off to a rollicking start as Wade hit sixes for fun and began with all guns blazing.

Navindra Persaud (9) was the silent partner and played his role well giving the big-hitting Wade most of the strike of power-hitting before off-spinner Ivan removed him for 73 from 29 balls with seven fours and six sixes to break the 86-run opening partnership.
Persaud was stumped off Ivan at 93-2 while West Indies U-19 batter Mavindra Dindyal (9) was LBW to Deodat at 96-3 and
Ivan got rid of Thaddius Lovell (15) as Blairmont slipped from 86 without loss to 117-4.

Martin Pestano (18), Deonarine Seegobin (19) and Lord (13) all got into double figures but by then the required run rate had jumped to 15 per over as ‘leggie’ Shawn Perriera wrapped up the innings.
Ivan had 3-25 and Perriera 3-29.