Singh (97*), Ferrier (67*) share unfinished century stand for Rest team

Singh (97), Ferrier (67) share unfinished century stand for Rest team

Nov 13, 2009 Sports

Permaul, Bishoo help Berbice maul E’bo by 353 runs in 3 days

By Sean Devers

Ryan Ramdass

Vishal Singh and fellow Guyana player Deon Ferrier shared an unfinished 103-run 5th wicket stand on Thursday (yesterday) to put the Rest Team in a strong position the beat Demerara outright on the final day of their Guyana Cricket Board senior 4-Day cricket competition at the Police ground in Georgetown.
The 20-year-old Singh, who played a solitary First-Class match this year, hit a patient unbeaten 97 while the 29-year-old Ferrier stroked an undefeated 67 to see the Rest team to 257-4 after they had dismissed Demerara for 354 on the penultimate day of their high-scoring contest.
The Rest team, which made 444 in their innings, lead by 347 going into the final day and with the track, which has been ideal for batting, expected to offer some assistance to the bowlers on the final day, the Rest Team should be pressing for a win today.
Watching Singh approach his maiden century at this level was as exciting as watching paint dry as he pushed the ball into the deep for singles and never made a genuine effort to accelerate in the closing stages of play but his overall work in 271 minutes from 205 balls with 4 fours and a six was the glue that held the innings together in sweltering heat.
Ferrier, who has played 9 Regional One-day games and 4 at the 20/20 level for Guyana, followed up his first innings 71 with another entertaining display and reached the boundary 4 times and cleared it twice in his 67 and his team is hoping that he can reach his ton inside the first hour today to facilitate a declaration.
West Indies under-19 opener Trevon Griffith (4) was taken at square-leg off Chris Barnwell at 13-1 before Rayan Ramdass, who played his only Test in 2005 in Sri Lanka and the rock solid Singh took the score to 129 before Ramdass seemed a bit unlucky to be given LBW to off-spinner Zaheer Mohamed for 53.

Deon Ferrier

Waslim Haslim (14) was bowled by leg-spinner Troy Gonsalves at 153-3 and first innings centurion Derwin Christian (1) fell to Mohamed (2-47) a run later before Singh and Ferrier joined forces to see their team to the close without further loss.
Haslim missed a sweep and was bowled while Christian, who has developed a reputation to blow hot and cold without ever being warm, followed up his splendid century in the first innings by playing an atrocious half-flick to Mohamed and spooned a catch to short mid-wicket.
Singh, surprisingly overlooked for the Demerara team, seemed intent on making a big score with careful batting while Ferrier, another Demerara reject, played an array of audacious shots against his ‘old team’ as the bowlers again struggled for potency in ideal batting conditions.
Earlier, the Rest team resumed on 312-8 and lost Mohamed (38) and Leon Scott (14), Wicket keeper Joseph Perry remained unbeaten on 26 while off-spinner Stephen Latcha took 5-98, Keyon Fraser 2-61 and Sauid Drepaul 2-72.
And in the other game played at the Anna Regina ground, host Essequibo maintained their status as the competition’s whipping boys when they crashed to a crushing innings and 353-run defeat to Berbice.
So emphatic was Berbice’s win that the game was wrapped up before Tea on the penultimate day although seepage under the covers from overnight rain affected the pitch and caused a delay until 50 minutes after Lunch.
Berbice, who bowled out the home team for 105 in their first innings, declared on their overnight 533-8 setting Essequibo 427 to make them bat again.
Essequibo failed to take advantage of the surprising decision by the GCB to reinstate them as a team into the 4-Day competition without anything being done for their cricket development during the time they were not allowed to play as a team last year and fell for 74 as national left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul took his 2nd 5-wicket haul of the match and got support from fellow Guyana leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo who bagged 4 wickets.