AN all-round performance from skipper Dwayne Adams propelled the Everest Cricket Club to an 18-run victory over the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) yesterday in the latest round of the Georgetown Cricket Association New Building Society (NBS) 40-over second-division cricket competition.

In a low-scoring affair at Everest ground, the home team won the toss and opted to bat first. The 31-year-old Adams who struck a magnificent century (128) in his previous clash against the Diplomats Sports Club, again showed form.

He carved out 52 after hitting four fours and an equal number of sixes. He added 39 runs with Ronaldo Renee (12), and 48 with Amir Khan 38 (3×4, 1×6). Also batting himself in was Kamesh Yadram, who scored 25 and added 44 with Khan for the third wicket.
After the fall of the top order, the home team buckled and the last seven wickets went for 37 runs.

Left-arm spinner Totaram Bishun, who took the wicket of Khan to start the slide, finished with 2-32 from eight overs, while Stephen Sankar, who later got the wicket of Yadram, finished with 3-26. Teenage quickie Qumar Torrington came back in his second spell to pick up two scalps.

The visitors started with a 29-run opening partnership between Raymond Perez (24) and the usually explosive Sachin Singh, but a run-out dismissed the teenager, which led to a mini slide, orchestrated by Adams with his left-arm spin.

The pendulum swung again with former national player Derwin Christian hitting 30 (1×4, 2×6). The 35-year-old and L. Smith (23) put together 31 for the fifth wicket before the former lost his wicket to left-arm spinner Javed Rasheed as he attempted a big hit.

Smith and Sankar (22) then batted their team back into the driver’s seat. The 37-run sixth-wicket partnership looked like it would have been the catalyst to take the visitors home, but DCC were undone by the spin/pace combination of former National U-19 cricketer Richie Looknauth and Travis Mohamed, who combined for the last five wickets.
Renee was also outstanding in the field as he snapped up two diving catches running in hard from the boundary.

In the end, it came down to 17 runs from the last two overs, but the tail of DCC failed to wag and they were all out for 150.
Looknauth finished with 3-12 from 7.5 overs with his off-spin bowling, while Adams finished with 3-31 from eight overs. Mohamed supported with two wickets.