BCB two- day first division cricket.
AFTER an absence of four years, two- day first division cricket has returned to the Ancient County of Berbice .
The powerful Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt Flour team made an immediate impact on the tournament by crushing the Berbice Police team by an innings and 179 runs in the opening round.
Playing at the Area H ground in blistering heat, the lawmen won the toss and elected to bat first. The home team opened their bowling with national under 15 fast bowler Raffel Mckenzie and left arm spinner Keith Simpson.
Mckenzie was replaced by national off-spinner Junior Sinclair after two overs and together with the talented Simpson, spun webs around the lawmen, bowling them out for a meagre 33. Simpson grabbed five for 13 from six impressive overs while Sinclair took 4 for 11.
Sinclair and national Under- 17 batsman Romesh Bharrat then added 92 for the first wicket for the Rose Hall Town before Bharrat was caught at deep square leg off the bowling of C. Mitchell for 35.
Former national youth cricketer, Javed Karim, playing his first match with his new club was then dismissed for 1, with the score at 145 for 2. National Youth cricketer, Matthew Pottaya, then joined the aggressive Sinclair and they added a brisk 156 for the third wicket . Sinclair was unbeaten on 201, with thirteen fours and fifteen sixes off 115 balls.
Pottaya was unbeaten on a solid 45 when the declaration was made by RHT Namilco Thunderbolt Flour captain, Clinton Pestano, at 301 for 2..Bowling for the Police team, C Mitchell took 1 for 64 and K Mentore 1 for 20.
Facing a deficit of 268 runs on first innings, Police fared a little better in their second innings as Simpson took five for 20 runs to end with match figures of 10 for 33.
Police were bowled out for 89 with only veteran Philbert Wilburg and Burton offering any resistance.
Wilburg, who was recently promoted to the rank of Inspector scored an unbeaten 31 with two sixes and three fours. Burton chipped in with 24 with two sixes. National selectee, Slyus Tyndall, supported Simpson with 3 for 20 in a very hostile spell of fast bowling while left arm pacer, Javed Karim, ended with two for 20.
The BCB two-day first division tournament is being played in two zones- Zone A and Zone B.
Zone A consists of West Berbice, Blairmont, Rose Hall Canje, Young Warriors and Tucber Park while B involves Police, Albion, Port Mourant, Skeldon and Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt Flour. The two top teams in each zone would advance to the semifinals.