Latest update December 12th, 2024 1:00 AM
Demerara beat B’ce by 7 wickets
By Sean Devers
Jonathan Foo
Rajendra Chandrika
On a bowler friendly pitch with variable bounce and plenty of slow turn for the spinners, defending champions Demerara beat Berbice by 7 wickets in their El’Dorado 50-overs Inter-County cricket match at the Wales Community Centre ground yesterday.
A fair-size and vocal crowd saw Berbice struggle to 195 all out in 48.2 overs with Jonathon Foo (69) and Esuan Crandon 57 leading the way.
Rajendra Chandrika (59) and unbeaten knocks of 41 and 35 from Gajanand Singh and Leon Johnson respectively then saw Demerara to victory with 14.5 overs to spare.
The two teams, who both trashed minnows Essequibo, will now clash in the Day/Night final on Saturday at the Guyana National Stadium in a repeat of last years final which Demerara won.
On another scorching hot day, Berbice elected to bat first and quickly slumped to 17-4 after Kelon Carmichael removed Sewnarine Chattergoon (9) and Richard Ramdeen (0) and Chris Barnwell sent back Asad Fudadin and Royston Crandon for ducks with the score on 17.
Crandon showed commitment to his county and the local cricket fans by making himself available yesterday after his long trip home from South Africa but quickly edged a catch to the Keeper.
Narsingh Deonarine (23) and teenager Foo took the score to 65 before Deonarine fell to left-arm spinner Sauid Drepaul who also removed Delbert Hicks (12) at 86-6.
Esuan Crandon joined Foo who played an array of commanding shots and shared in a partnership of 69 for the 7th wicket before Foo was removed by Zaheer Mohamed at 155-7.
Foo hit 5 fours and 2 sixes from the 92 balls and again showed why he is regarded as one of the cleanest hitters of the ball in Guyana before he threw his wicket away when well set for a ton.
Crandon also hit the ball savagely and struck 2 sixes in an over from Steven Jacobs before one turned a bit more from the off-spinner and Crandon skied a catch for the Keeper to take to end the innings.
Carmichael took 3-26, Barnwell 2-31, Mohamed 2-50 and Drepaul 2-51 for Demerara who were off to a solid 59-run start.
Shemroy Barrington was just beginning to look good on 31 when he cut left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul to point while Barnwell (10) was stumped off leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo at 90-2.
Chandrika, whose 59 came from 84 balls with 5 fours and a six, was bowled by Deonarine at 130-3 before Johnson and Berbician-born Gajanand Singh joined forces to see their team to victory.
Johnson took his time and hit 3 fours from 62 balls in his unbeaten 35 while Singh was more willing to play his shots and reached the boundary 6 times from 46 balls in his 41 not out.
A majestic cover-driven boundary from Johnson off Bishoo provided victory for Demerara who were without West Indies player Travis Dowlin who, according to the Demerara selector and team Manager Robert Adonis, missed the match to rest after his return from the make-shift West Indies team, the only side to lose all of their matches in the Champions Trophy in Africa.
According to the GCB this competition is being used to pick the national team for the Regional One-Day competition and Dowlin and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who has completed his season with English county side Durham, could strengthen the Ramnaresh Sarwan-led Demerara team for Saturday’s final.
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