Inter-County cricket…Crandon’s heart-breaking six give Berbice nail-biting win

Sep 29, 2008 Sports

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As spirited Essequibo panic under pressure

By Sean Devers
The tears of the Essequibo players yesterday proved that there was no shortage of commitment and passion in a team which again failed to grasp the concept of holding on to a winning position and if nothing is done to fix the selection politics and lack of mental fortitude in Essequibo’s cricket, there will be many more heartbreaking days for players and fans from Guyana’s largest county.

Skipper Trevon Garraway led from the front with incisive fast bowling and all of his bowlers bowled well before the Essequibians panicked under pressure in the crucial last over of their El Dorado rain affected Inter-County 50-overs cricket encounter at the Wales ground.  Berbice, needing eight to win from six balls, won with a ball to spare.

Twenty-year-old former Guyana under-19 left-hander Norman Federicks scored his third Inter-County fifty (56) against Berbice and first at the One-Day level as Essequibo reached 154-9 after two stoppages for rain reduced the contest to a 39-overs match.

The experienced Hoomchand Pooran (31) Delbert Hicks (30*) and Assad Fudadin (29) got starts as Berbice, set 157 to win on the Duckworth/Lewis system, struggled to 161-7 off 38.5 overs as Eusan Crandon (10*) hit Ryan Hercules over cover for six in a nail-biting finish to a riveting contest.

Without a win at this level in 14 years, the loss was heart-breaking for a large and raucous crowd which included mostly Essequibo supporters since the lads from the Cinderella County fought ‘tooth and nail’ until they paid the price for their lack of mental toughness and tactical blunders.

The last over began with the game on a knife’s edge and bets concerning the final result being made by several spectators who ensured the sponsors’ Rum were well supported during the keenly contested game.

Berbice benefited from a rare umpiring blunder from Colin Alfred when he said ‘not out’ with Mahendra Nagamootoo well short of his ground with 12 needed to win and six wickets down.

The Berbicians needed eight to win from the last six balls with three wickets standing and Hercules was given the nerve wreaking task of giving Essequibo only their third win at this level in 28 years.

The big hitting Crandon, Guyana semi-final hero in the inaugural Stanford 20/20 could only manage a single off the first ball while Hicks collected another run off the next delivery.

A drive to mid-off went right through Fredericks for two as the pressure mounted while Robert Moore succumbed to the gripping tension and failed to find the stumps after collecting a return with Crandon stranded and it was evident that Essequibo were once again struggling mentally to cross the final hurdle.

It was no surprise that Crandon’s six ended the match to the relief of the Berbice camp and dismay of the Essequibo contingent which included a disappointed Essequibo Cricket Board President Alvin Johnson.

Although the surprise omission of pacer Trevor Benn raised a few eyebrows, Denis Joseph began solidly before he was caught behind of the genuinely quick Brandon Bess on a sluggish track but Fredericks, who hit three sixes and a four on the slow outfield in his 98-ball 56 showed that there is plenty of raw talent in Essequibo.

Fredericks and fellow left-hander Mahase Richards who hit two fours and a six in his 25 added 45 for the fourth wicket after Joseph departed at 48-3.

Hercules chipped in with 11 towards the end of the innings, but with the loss of wickets a crucial factor in ‘Duckworth/Lewis’ games, Essequibo lost three wickets in the last over as Bess (2-39), Skipper Narsingh Deonarine (2-12) and Nagamootoo (2-30) picked up wickets at important stages.

A crescendo of noise soon erupted from the jam-packed stands when the impressive Garraway removed both Test batsmen in the Berbice team with just 16 on the board.

Sewnarine Chattergoon (0) top edged a hook to square leg, while Deonarine (6) was leg before 14 runs later and Berbice, who beat Demerara in their opening game, were on the ropes.

Fudadin followed up his first match half-century with confident batting and along with Pooran put together 34 for the third wicket before Fudadin, who reached the boundary twice in his 29, had his off stump knocked out by a quicker ball from debutant left-arm spinner Andrew Wong, who then bowled Pooran for 31 with a beauty which touched down on leg and hit off stump as the bemused Pooran pushed tentatively forward and Berbice were in trouble.

Critical runs were scored as through fumbles in the field as Wong (2-33), Moore (1-30) and off-spinner Andrew Williams (1-29) supported Garraway with tight eight over spells as the required run-rate increased and the lower order Berbice batsmen showed signs of nervousness.

Hicks maintained his composer and although Nagamootoo (4) was well caught by Benn, the pressure took its toll on the Essequibo team who wasted their tenacious earlier efforts by throwing the match away to extend their losing streak in this competition to 28 matches.

Berbice and defending champions Demerara clash in the final at the Stadium on Friday in the first ever official cricket match under lights in Guyana.

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