GCB’s El Dorado 50-over cricket….Chanderpaul’s unbeaten 95 see Demerara to final despite level-headed 67 from Jacobs

Sep 21, 2011 Sports

---

 

 

In an exciting finish in near darkness at Bourda, Demerara beat the President’s X1 by 20 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis system yesterday to book a place against Berbice in Sunday’s Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) El Dorado 50-over cricket final at Albion.
Thirty-seven year-old Shiv Chanderpaul showed why he is considered the consummate professional with an unbeaten 95 after former West Indies youth opener Trevon Griffith had scored 51 to see Demerara to 253-4 off their allotted 45-overs in the rain affected game which ended at 17:45hrs when bad light stopped play.

The 23-year-old Jacobs continued his recent good run with both bat and ball to score a level-headed 67 after taking 1-36 from 11 economical overs on a track with some ‘bounce and carry’ as the President’s X1 reached 199-7 off 36 overs, 19 short of the par score required for victory at that stage.
The President’s X1 won the toss and sent in Demerara to bat in sultry conditions and the left-handed Griffith, who stroked eight fours in his 56-ball 51 and the right-handed Shemroy Barrington (17) again built a solid foundation for their team before Barrington played over a full ball from off-spinner Jacobs and was bowled at 57-1.
When Griffith, who stroked the ball sweetly on a lightening fast outfield, was ‘played on’ to off-spinner Deon Ferrier at 83-2, both openers had again failed to convert an attractive start into substantial innings.
Chanderpaul, the most capped West Indian Test player, returned on Saturday night from a highly successful English County season and began his innings in measured fashion with his trademark nudges and pushes into gaps.
He and in-form West Indies ODI left-hander Leon Johnson took Demerara to 140-2 off 29 overs when rain at 11:42hrs, stopped play reducing the game to 45 overs per side.
When play resumed at 14:20hrs, Johnson stroked Jacobs elegantly to the cover boundary before he edged a ‘back of a length’ delivery from impressive former national under-19 pacer Keyron Fraser to the keeper Dexter Solomon.
Johnson’s demise for 35 ended a 62-run stand with Chanderpaul and left the hosts on 145-3 and when Gajanand Singh departed for his second first ball duck of the competition, this time caught at deep cover off Keyron Fraser, the President’s X1 were in business.
But Chanderpaul, like he has done many times for Guyana and the West Indies, changed gears from his watchful start and added 108 with National player Vishaul Singh in an unfinished fifth wicket stand as the President’s X1 fielders offered little support to their bowlers.

Chanderpaul, who averages 49.04 and has 23 tons from his 133 Tests, favoured the sweep. His placement and timing was an artful exhibition to the younger batsmen even as the pint-size Singh, who scored 40 from 39 balls with three fours, supported with an array of orthodox, scoop, paddle and reverse sweeps as he made the opposition pay for dropping him three times.
Chanderpaul, who survived a regulation catch to the keeper off the unfortunate Keyron Fraser on 33, smashed Keith Fraser for a four and a disdainful six over the Media Centre to gallop into the nineties in the final over.
A damaged finger to Skipper and Test player Travis Dowlin when he drooped a difficult offering from Singh off national under-19 pacer Clinton Pestano, who greeted Chanderpaul with well directed bouncer, left a huge hole in the President’s X1 batting order.
Kellon Carmichael removed Artley Bailey (5) and West Indies under-19 reserve batsman Chanderpaul Hemraj (11) to leave the score on 32-2.
When ex-Test player Sewnarine Chattergoon (18) was well taken at point by Griffith, cutting at Wintz, Demerara were in control at 46-3.
Jacobs, the leading wicket-taker in the competition with six scalps from three matches and with just nine First Class matches since his debut in Grenada in 2006, began slowly.
Jacobs and Krishna Deosarran (27 from 57 balls with a four and a six) were made to work hard for their runs before Deosarran lofted left-arm spinner Totaram Bishun to long-off at 135-4.
With the light fading and aware of the Duckworth/Lewis system requirements, Jacobs batted with the type of maturity that has been lacking in some of his previous innings and efficiently put away the bad balls.
Forced to take chances to keep his team in the hunt, Jacobs who hit seven fours from 71 balls in his 67, top-edged a mighty swing at Bishun and skied a catch to point to end a well compiled half-century to follow up his top score of 45 in Berbice.
Keith Fraser swung Bishun for two sixes in an over and swept Zaheer Mohamed on the fence behind square-leg for another but most his shots found air as the asking rate escalated.
When Trevon Griffith had Fraser (22) leg before and had Pestano caught at long-on, first ball, the score was 191-7 and the game all but over.
Carmichael (2-44), Bishun (2-46) and Griffith (2-10) were the wicket takers for Demerara who now hope to dethrone Berbice from 09:00hrs on Sunday in Region Six. (Sean Devers)

---

---