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GDF battle GCC in final from April 30
By Sean Devers
The Guyana Defense Force (GDF) and Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) will battle each other for the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Noble House Seafoods two-day second division title on April 30 and May 1 after the semi-finals of the competition ended yesterday.
GDF defeated Transport Sports Club (TSC) by 136 runs at DCC while GCC advanced by taking first innings points in their drawn encounter at GDF. The GCA is hoping to play the Final at DCC.
Dennis Squires
Raj Nanan
At DCC, a sporting declaration by GDF provided TSC with a lifeline to the final after they had lost first innings points and a draw would have ensured the Solders a place in the final.
However, set a daunting 253 to win from a minimum of 20 overs after GDF declared at 226-7 at 16:00hrs, the Transport batsmen came out with all guns blazing and attacked to the very end before they were bowled out for 117 in 14.5 overs.
The Soldiers must have been a bit nervous as TSC raced to 50 in just four overs; Charwayne McPherson and Rawle Enmore tore into the pacers with an array of savage shots on the small ground. But once off-spinner Paul Castello removed them both in successive overs, the result was never really in question although the Transport batsmen never give up in their ‘must win’ effort.
Enmore clobbered two fours and two sixes in a cameo 25 before he was bowled attempting a massive hit while McPherson, who struck three fours and three sixes in 35, seemed a bit unlucky to be given ‘caught behind’ off a quicker ball.
With Castello generously ‘lobbing’ the ball from the Northern end, the batsmen cashed in with the spinner conceding four fours and six sixes in his 5.5 overs but took 4-57 as the batsmen could not preserve their wickets in the mad hunt for runs.
Left-arm spinner Clinton Collis ensured the run rate did not get ‘out of hand’ and finished with 3-15 even as Shafiek Ishmael who scored 25 with two fours and two sixes and Keon Morris who lashed two sixes and two fours in his 23 kept the small crowd entertained and the windows on the houses to the North of the ground in constant danger of damage.
Earlier, TSC, replying to GDF’s first innings 189, resumed the final day on 97-4 and fell for 162 despite 52 from Ishmeal. Former Guyana youth pacer Jeremiah Harris grabbed 5-36 and Collins 3-47 to give the Army a 29-run first innings lead.
Marcus Watkins (29) and Mark Haynes (29) give their team a solid 41-run opening start and Mark Rhobe made 32 before Ishmael (4-42) and Azim Azeez (2-30) picked up some quick wickets to keep TSC’s victory hopes alive.
But Skipper Harris who made 54 not out and fellow left-handed batsman Ameer Khan (49) put together 91 in a match winning seventh wicket partnership before was taken at square-leg, sweeping.
Harris was unbeaten after hitting three fours and three sixes when the surprise declaration was made. But in the end the Soldiers justified the decision to go for an outright win instead of sitting on their laurels with a place in the final already assured.
In the other semi-final, DCC began the second day on 125-6, still 26 runs from first innings points and Dennis Squires added just six his overnight 32 as DCC were bowled out for 151.
Left-arm spinner Raj Nanan was the architect of destruction with the ball for the Bourda boys with 6-41 while Winston Forrester took 2-16.
With a lead of 9 runs, GCC fell for 261 in their second innings although Squires who had 5-45 in the first innings, opened the bowling with his off-spin in the second and collected his 7th five-wicket haul in the competition (5-72) in a losing cause.
Forrester struck seven fours and a six in 53 while Raphael Singh reached the boundary five times in 51, Almando Doman made 39 as Jason Bishop (3-30) and Parmindra Jaigobin (2-46) supported Squires with the ball for the Queenstown unit.
DCC were 33-1 in their second innings when the match was called off when Nanan bowled Squires for 20.
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