A clinical batting and bowling display from defending champions Demerara, saw them recording an easy seven wicket victory over Berbice in a dress rehearsal final round match of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/ El Dorado sponsored senior limited overs Inter-county tournament at the Wales Community Centre ground yesterday.

Berbice won the toss and opted to take first strike on a flat wicket in hazy conditions and were met by the swing of Kellon Carmichael (3-26) and Christopher Barnwell (2-31), who restricted them to 17-4 in the ninth over, before they were bowled out for 195, thanks to the batting of Jonathan Foo (69) and Esaun Crandon who made 57.

Demerara in reply, rode on the back of a 59 runs opening partnership between Rajendra Chandrika and Shemroy Barrington (31), to reach 197-3 from 45.1 overs, with Gajanand Singh and Leon Johnson being the not out batsmen on 41 and 35 respectively.

Sewnarine Chattergoon (09; 1×4), Richard Ramdeen (00), Assad Fudadin (00) and Royston Crandon (00) were all back in the pavilion, as Carmichael and Barnwell went on a rampage in front of a handful of spectators when Berbice took first strike.

Narsingh Deonarine (23 2×4; 1×6) and Foo restored some order to the batting, adding 48 for the fifth wicket with Foo flicking Carmichael to the backward square leg boundary for four, while Deonarine who was dropped by wicketkeeper Joseph Perry off Carmichael when he was on one pulled, Sauid Drepaul over midwicket for six, which raised the 50 for Berbice in the 18th over.

Foo followed Deonarine by hitting Drepaul who took five wickets in Demerara’s first round game against Essequibo, between cover and extra cover and when Deonarine struck Zaheer Mohammed for successive boundaries, Berbice moved to 65-4 in the 21st over.

They lost Deonarine, who was caught by Steven Jacobs at extra cover from a top edge pull off Drepaul and even though Delbert Hicks (12) stuck around to add 21 with Foo from 7.5 overs before he held out to Mohammed at wide mid on, Berbice were 86-6 in the 30th over.

Esaun Crandon strolled to the wicket to join Foo and together they took the attack to the defending champions in a match which served as a dress rehearsal for the final at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence this Saturday.

Foo brought up his 50 with a four then six over mid on and mid wicket off Mohammed, facing 75 balls and accumulating four fours and one six, while Crandon who played the role of a pinch hitter when Guyana defeated Jamaica in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Stanford T20 tournament, struck two sixes and three fours in his 50 from 46 deliveries.

They tore into Demerara’s bowling, with Foo hitting Drepaul over wide long on for a maximum, then watched as Crandon hit Drepaul through point and then to third man off successive deliveries for four, before Foo was caught by Barnwell at midwicket to leave Berbice on 155-7 in the 41st over.

Crandon engineered the addition of 40 more runs from the remaining nine overs before he was the last wicket to fall in the penultimate, even though he saw the demise of Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo who both made four, leaving Brandon Bess unbeaten on 2, as Drepaul supported Barnwell and Carmichael with 2-51.

When Demerara began their reply in sultry conditions, Barrington started things with a straight drive back along the ground off Bess, followed by a flick through backward square leg for boundaries and another four through the covers off Royston Crandon, before he was caught by a diving Bess at point off Permaul.

Barnwell (10 2×4) who showed signs of permanence at number three, hit Permaul through mid off for four and followed it up with an authoritative drive through extra cover for another boundary, whilst Chandrika swept Chattergoon to fine leg for four.

But Barnwell, who looked intent on posting a big partnership with Chandrika, was smartly stumped by Hicks off Bishoo in the 23rd over, to leave Demerara on 90-2.

Both Johnson and Chandrika hit Bishoo for boundaries, with the latter hitting the national right arm leg spinner over long on for six to move to 48 and raised his half century with a single to deep mid on from the 80th ball he faced, hitting three fours and one six in the process.

Chandrika continued to attack the Ancient County bowling with two fours scored off successive deliveries from Royston Crandon in an over which cost Berbice 11 runs, before Chandrika was bowled by Deonarine.

The 21 year old Chandrika struck five fours and one six from the 84 balls he faced up to his demise off the first ball of the 33rd over, leaving Demerara on 130-3, which raced to 168-3 seven overs later, when Gajanand Singh struck Permaul through midwicket and extra cover for boundaries off successive deliveries.

Johnson watched as Singh struck Deonarine for four through point, followed by another through midwicket, before he finished the match in style for Demerara with an audacious drive for four through the covers off Bishoo.

BERBICE innings
S. Chattergoon c Jacobs b Carmichael 09
R. Ramdeen c Mohammed b Carmichael 00
A. Fudadin b Barnwell 00
N. Deonarine c Jacobs b Drepaul 23
R. Crandon c wkpr Perry b Barnwell 00
J. Foo c Barnwell b Mohammed 69
D. Hicks c Mohammed b Drepaul 12
E. Crandon c wkpr Perry b Jacobs 57
V. Permaul c Barnwell b Mohammed 04
D. Bishoo c Sarwan b Carmichael 04
B. Bess not out 02
Extras: 1b, 1lb, 12w, 1nb
Fall of wickets: 8-1, 15-2, 17-3, 17-4, 65-5, 86-6, 155-7, 166-8, 175-9, 195-10
Bowling
Barnwell 9-0-31-2, Carmichael 10-1-26-3, Mohammed 10-1-50-2, Drepaul 10-0-51-2 (1nb, 1w), Jacobs 9.2-1-35-1.

DEMERARA innings
S. Barrington c Bess b Permaul 31
R. Chandrika b Deonarine 61
C. Barnwell stp wkpr Hicks b Bishoo 10
L. Johnson not out 35
G. Singh not out 41
Extras: 14b, 1lb, 5w
Fall of wicket: 59-1, 90-2, 130-3
Bowling
E. Crandon 6-1-23-0, Bess 1-0-8-0, R. Crandon 5-0-38-0, Chattergoon 7-2-14-0, Permaul 10-1-38-1, Bishoo 8.1-1-29-1, Deonarine 8-1-32-1.