Garraway, Khan, Dowlin and Johnson shine as Demerara in control after first day
ESSEQUIBO’S prodigal son Trevon Garraway returned home yesterday not as a hero for the home team, but as their tormentor as Demerara took control of  the  Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) four-team four-day tournament match-up against the home team at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground yesterday.
Winning the toss and opting to take first strike after play got under way one hour late due to broken bottles around the playing area, Essequibo found the bowling of Garraway (4-16) and debutant Amir Khan (4-38) too much to handle as they were bowled out for 122 from 34 overs.
Thanks to unbeaten half-centuries from Travis Dowlin (59) and Leon Johnson (56) who have so far shared an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership worth 102 runs, Demerara reached 173-3 from 42 overs at the close, with Dillon Heyliger who shared the new ball with Ronson Beaton taking 3-46 from 12 overs.
Skipper Royan Fredericks 15 (3×4) and his older brother Norwayne Fredericks 39 (5×4) opened the home team’s batting and added 38 for the first wicket from 10.2 overs, as Royan struck Christopher Barnwell through point and over cover for boundaries.
Garraway was also struck for a four by the Essequibian captain, before the introduction of spin in the eighth over calmed down the home team’s batting, as they lost their leader who was caught at first slip by his opposite number Ramnaresh Sarwan, off Zaheer Mohammed (1-21).
Khan replaced Mohammed after his wicket-taking feat and took his first wicket as a senior Demerara Inter-county player, when he had Kenzo Baksh caught by Barnwell at slip without scoring while Mohammed’s cat-like attitude accounted for Kevin Boodie (1) who was run-out by the full length of the pitch.
At the luncheon interval, Essequibo were 57-3 with Norwayne Fredericks on 35 and Heyliger 3 and they moved to 64-3 after the break, when Fredericks pulled a short delivery from Garraway for four, before he was sent back to the pavilion by Khan when he looked to sweep at a straight delivery from the leg-spinner and was adjudged lbw.
Heyliger followed shortly after, caught by Khan at mid-off from a lofted drive off Garraway and from the comfortable position of 61-3, Essequibo were shakily placed at 70-5 which became 82-6 following the dismissal of Ricardo Adams (12), but not before the left-handed batsman had struck Khan for two sixes over mid-wicket.
Anthony Adams (27) and Keron Sewnarine (13) added 40 for the seventh wicket, with the latter who looked at sea against Khan, reassuring himself with back-to-back fours off the leg- spinner, who was also struck for a six over backward square leg by Anthony Adams.
Mohammed was earlier struck for a hat-trick of boundaries by Anthony Adams who was in a pugnacious mood facing 20 deliveries for his 27, decorated with four fours and one six, before witnessing the demise of Sewnarine who was bowled by Khan.
From 122-6, Essequibo were bowled out for the same total as Garraway in true fast bowler-like mode wrapped up the tail, as he removed Anthony Adams, Xavier McDonald (0) and Imran Khan (0), with his last two wickets coming off successive deliveries, ensuring Essequibo lost their last four wickets for 40 runs.
Demerara got off to a shaky reply when they lost Trevon Griffith (4) lbw to Heyliger in the second over, before Dowlin and Vishal Singh 22 (4×4) added 42 for the second wicket, with Dowlin driving Beaton all along the ground for four while Singh worked Heyliger through square leg for four, followed by back-to-back boundaries in Beaton’s next over.
In his attempt to hit Heyliger over mid-off, Singh picked out McDonald and when Baksh accepted a regulation catch at the wicket offered by Steven Jacobs (2) on the stroke of tea, Demerara were 71-3 with Dowlin showing rearguard action on 21 which included a six struck off an Anthony Adams’ no-ball.
After tea, he and Johnson waded into the Cinderella County bowling line-up while giving their opponent’s top order batsmen, a glimpse of what application and concentration should be as they posted their half-centuries and at the same time cemented their team’s stranglehold on the match.
A hat-trick of boundaries from Johnson off Beaton raised Demerara’s 100 in the 25th over, while a short delivery from Royan Fredericks was dispatched over the boundary by Dowlin who took 124 deliveries to realise his 50, hitting four fours and two sixes in the process.
Johnson followed suit shortly after by hitting Ricardo Adams for a four and six to raise his 50 from 59 deliveries, counting six fours and two sixes in the process, following which both batsmen employed the word ‘careful’ as they took their team to 173-3 and a lead of 51 runs going into the second day today when play commences at 09:30 h.

SCOREBOARD
ESSEQUIBO first innings
N. Fredericks lbw Khan    39
R. Fredericks c Sarwan b Mohammed    15
K. Baksh c Barnwell b A. Khan    0
K. Boodie run-out    1
D. Heyliger c A. Khan b Garraway    12
R. Adams c Christian b A. Khan    12
A. Adams c Griffith b Garraway    27
K. Sewnarine b A. Khan    13
X. Mc Donald lbw Garraway    0
R. Beaton not out    0
I. Khan b Garraway    0
Extras: (b-1, lb-1, w-1)    3
Total: (all out off 34 overs)    122
Bowling: Garraway 8-2-16-4 (w-1), Barnwell 3-0-21-0, Jacobs 8-2-14-0, Mohammed 4-0-21-1, A. Khan 11-3-48-4.

DEMERARA first innings
T. Dowlin not out 59
T. Griffith lbw Heyliger    4
V. Singh c McDonald b Heyliger    22
S. Jacobs c wkp. Baksh b Heyliger    2
L. Johnson not out    56
Extras: (b-12, lb-2, w-5, nb-11)    30
Total: (for 3 wickets off 42 overs) 173
Bowling: Beaton 7-0-36-0, Heyliger 12-1-46-3, A. Adams 13-1-37-0, I. Khan 5-0-15-0, R. Fredericks 3-0-14-0, R. Adams 2-0-11-0.