De Mattos’ unbeaten 44 spurs Essequibo to 9-wkt win
By Sean Devers
On a day which was interrupted by a brief shower, Essequibo registered an emphatic 9-wicket win over the GCB Select X1 at Everest in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) 50-over Inter-County tournament.
Led by unbeaten knocks from Harold De Mattos and Gladwin Henry, Essequibo reached 83-1 in 24.1 overs in reply to the GCB Select X1’s 80 all out in 31 overs.

There was a short shower on the completion of the GCB’s Select X1 innings and an early lunch was taken.
Essequibo started their chase badly when they lost Rajindra Ramballi for a duck, caught by wicket-keeper Shiloh Adams off the bowling of Parmeshwar Ram in the third over at 5-1.

The left-handed pair of De Mattos, who, contrary to the playing conditions of the tournament, wore white pads instead of a coloured pair used in white ball tournaments, played some lovely shots.
He favoured the front foot extra cover drive in a well composed 44 not out from 70 balls, aided by six sweetly timed boundaries.
Henry, who played the supporting role before stepping on the gas with victory, finished unbeaten on 28 from 64 balls with three sixes and three fours, the last of which ended the contest.

The pair shared in an unbroken 78-run second wicket stand on the small playing area due to shortened boundaries.
Earlier, the Select X1 won the toss and chose to bat on another pitch which favoured the spinners.
They quickly lost Rashaad Gaffur for a duck off Natron Gill at 4-1 in the third over and never recovered.
While Extras top scored with 25, only Skipper Dave Mohabir and Parmeshwar Ram of the batters reached double figures with 16 each.

Pacer Darwin Joseph bagged 3-21 while off-spinner Ramballi had 3-9 to set up the final, on today between Demerara and Berbice at Everest.