Foo (15-94) spins Berbice to emphatic 8-wkt win against E’bo

Apr 29, 2009 Sports

By Sean Devers in Essequibo

Jonathan Foo took a record 15-94 in the match with his leg-spin for Berbice.

In association with Arabian Hotel

Another mesmerizing spell of leg spin bowling from national under-19 all-rounder Jonathan Foo spearheaded defending champions Berbice to an emphatic eight-wicket victory against Essequibo just after lunch on the final day of their three-day GTM Inter-County under-19 cricket match at the Anna Regina ground yesterday.

Set 48 to win after Essequibo slumped from 121-6 to 121 all out, Berbice lost national under-17 player Joemal LaFluer for a duck off Rovi Harris and Harrinarine Chattergoon (22) off left-arm spinner Floyd Henry, before reaching 48-2 off 13.5 overs.

LaFluer was leg before as he played around the ball for the second time in the match while Chattergoon was taken at mid-off five minutes before lunch with victory 11 runs away.

Foo was unbeaten on 11 and Eon Hooper on 23 when the match ended six minutes after the interval.

Foo, a tall 18-year-old from Albion with two years of regional under-19 experience, spun webs around the batsmen and followed up his 9-53 in the first innings with 6-41 to register a match haul of 15-94, the best match figures in the history of Inter-County under-19 cricket.

Skipper Royston Alkins staged a lone battle with a defiant 46 as his team lost to Berbice by eight wickets yesterday.

Foo had joined fellow Albion spinners Davendra Bishoo and Suraj Paltoo on the first day of the contest as the only bowlers to take nine wickets in an innings in GTM cricket.

Scores: E’bo 161 & 121, Berbice 235 & 48-5.

Essequibo resumed on 107-5 with Alkins on 41 and Floyd Henry on one and Foo soon induced Henry to sky a catch to cover before Essequibo had added to their overnight score.

A handful of spectators, including new selector Nazimul Drepaul, watched as Alkins staged a lone battle in hazy sunshine on a flat track to try and give his team a total to defend.

Anthony Adams and Alkins pushed the score to 121 before Foo sliced through the lower order as the last four wickets fell for no run.

Alkins was ninth out when he was caught at slip for 46 and was one of only three Essequibians to reach double figures in his team’s second innings which ended at 10:57hrs. Skipper and National under-19 wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble added two more dismissals to the six he had in the Essequibo first innings.

Essequibo, who also lost outright to Berbice last year after beating Demerara by nine runs, will now face Demerara in the GTM one-day first round match tomorrow at the Police ground in Georgetown before Berbice begin their one-day title defence against Essequibo on Friday at Blairmont.

The Essequibo officials are protesting the decision by the Competitions Committee of the Guyana Cricket Board to have them travel to Georgetown today to play tomorrow and then travel to Berbice the next day play a match on the same day after having to play back-to-back three-day games in Essequibo.

Chairman of the GCB Competitions Committee Carl Moore explained that the fixtures had to be revised due to the limited time available to finish the competition before the rainy season arrives.

The final one-day game will be played on May 3 at DCC between Demerara and Berbice while the three-day competition will resume with the final round fixture between Demerara and Berbice at the Guyana National Stadium from May 5.

Photos: Skipper Royston Alkins staged a lone battle with a defiant 46 as his team lost to Berbice by eight wickets yesterday.