Foo (5-93 & 50*) leads Berbice fight back

May 06, 2009 Sports

– Griffith hits 75 for Demerara

By Sean Devers

National Under-19 all-rounder Jonathon Foo took 5-93 from 26 overs before smashing a commanding unbeaten 50 to lead a Berbice fight-back against Demerara on the opening day of their crucial final-round GTM three-day Under-19 Inter-County cricket match at the Providence Stadium yesterday.

Trevon Griffith

By the close, Berbice, replying to Demerara’s 216, had recovered from 7-4 to reach 74-4 with the pugnacious Foo unbeaten on an explosive 49-ball 50 with 11 enterprising boundaries. This was after national Under-19 opener Trevon Griffith had scored a polished 119-ball 75 in 136 minutes with 8 fours and 2 sixes in the Demerara innings.

Dropped before he had scored by Griffith at second slip off a fired-up Andre Stoll and again by wicketkeeper Dexter Solomon off Seon Daniels on 14, Foo struck the ball with menacing power and should be Demerara’s main obstacle today in a game they must win outright to dethrone Berbice.

Despite a questionable batting order and the use of their spinners from the wrong ends, Demerara still ended the first day in the ascendancy. Berbice are 141 runs away from Demerara’s total with four of their top order batsmen back in the pavilion.

The 18-year-old Foo, who took his wicket tally in the competition to 20 from three innings with another impressive spell of leg-spin bowling in the Demerara innings, later produced a brutal, yet clinical exhibition of savage stroke-play on the lightning fast outfield, to set the stage for what is anticipated to be a riveting contest between bat and ball today.

Watched by a handful of fans on a National Holiday to commemorate Arrival Day, Demerara were given a 91-run foundation by Griffith and Ryan Rajmangal before losing three quick wickets before lunch.

Rajmangal who scored 25 from 117 balls in 103 minutes with three fours, played the supporting role in the opening partnership before he lofted a catch to mid-on, as Foo, who captured a record 15-94 against Essequibo, made the break-through.

Debutant Delroy Charles, strangely asked to bat at number three in the Orin Bailey coached side, popped a catch to short-leg before he had scored, as off-spinner Sahadeo Somai struck at 92-2, while Kishan Shivgobin (5) never suggested permanence and was comprehensively bowled by Foo on the stroke of lunch.

From a Lunch time score of 98-3 with Griffith on 63, Demerara, who lost first innings points to Essequibo, slumped to 99-4, when Skipper Rajendra Naikbarran (5) was run out.

Griffith failed to keep a ball which bounced on him from Foo away from short-leg at 114-5, and the Berbicians were celebrating.

Stoll joined his Guyana Under-17 Skipper Dexter Solomon and the pair revived the position with an attractive 71-run partnership before Stoll was forced to retire hurt on 30 at 174-5. He was struck on his leg by national Under-19 pacer Keyron Fraser.

Solomon, looking set for a big score, was run out when Amir Khan called him for a suicidal single to leave Demerara on 175-6. Solomon’s 32 included five boundaries and lasted 58 balls and 76 minutes.

Fraser removed Khan (2) and Foo got rid of Totaram Bishun (3) as Demerara sunk to 180-8 before debutant Ricardo Devers and Daniels added 31 to push their team to 205-8 by Tea.

Jonathan Foo

Daniels, swept Foo for a couple of boundaries in his 36-ball 24 before he was taken at silly mid-off to give Foo his third consecutive five-wicket haul at 211-9.

Devers, who looked very confident against Fraser, hit Foo over mid-on for four in his unbeaten 10 from 46 balls in 43 minutes, before Stoll (30 with 6 fours from 52 balls and 65 minutes) fell to Somai who took 2-48 from 29 overs of controlled bowling.

Berbice were quickly 2-1 when Eon Hooper (0) was run out as he stroked a ball to Devers at wide mid-on, while Guyana Under-19 right-hander Seon Hetmyer (0) was caught by a diving Khan at short cover as a bouncer from Stoll rebounded from his head after hitting the shoulder of the bat.

Without addition to the score, Harrinarine Chattergoon was leg before to Daniels at 3-3 before Stoll had Manoj Pooranauth (1) caught behind at 7-4.

Foo was then dropped by Griffith off the next ball and celebrated with a scorching four to point before flicking Daniels disdainfully for another four in the next over and hit nine fours in his first 38 runs.

Demerara used their leg-spinners from the North and off-spinner from the south instead of the other way round. On a placid track they will hope to get their tactics right, hold their catches and get rid of Foo early if they want to deny Berbice back-to-back titles.

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