GCB 50-over Inter-County U-19 cricket …Fifties from Peters, Himraj & Paul power E’bo to stunning win against B’ce

May 15, 2014 Sports

---

By Sean Devers
Essequibo registered a stunning five-wicket win over Berbice in their second round Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) 50-over

Inter County Under-19 cricket match at Enmore after the team from the Ancient County wilted under pressure after seemingly having the game all sewn up at one stage.
An intelligent 63 from Shemron Heytmer and an attractive 58 from Balchand Baldeo led Berbice to 229 all out in 46.3 overs with Akil Wallace taking 3-55 for Essequibo who responded with positive batting to reach 231-5 in 49.1 overs with Ricardo Peters (53), Shivendra Himraj (57) and Kemo Paul (53) all getting half-centuries in a contest that went down to the wire.
Heytmer stroked seven fours and a six in his 43-ball knock, while Baldeo’s innings lasted 84 balls and included three fours as they put together 92 from 96 balls for the second wicket to set Berbice, who beat Demerara at Wales on Tuesday on course for back-to-back wins. But Essequibo, who are much stronger in limited overs cricket, had other ideas.
Essequibo won the toss and invited Berbice to bat on a straw coloured track and fast outfield in windy conditions before a short shower stopped play after 1.2 overs with the score on 13 without loss.
After a delay of seven minutes, Leon Adams (7) elected to play no shot at pacer Travis Drakes and touched a catch to the Keeper to leave Berbice on 30-1 in the seventh over as the sun returned in all its glory.
The pugnacious left-handed Hetymer joined Baldeo and together they batted intelligently with Heytmer, a West Indies Under-19 player, stroking the ball into the gaps and finding the boundaries without hitting the ball in the air.
Heytmer in particular, played with calculated aggression and was especially severe on off-spinner Akil Wallace. Hetmyer brought up his fifty from 43 balls with an exquisite cover drive for his seventh boundary on the parched outfield.
Heytmer’s first six took him to 58 and he displayed excellent shot selection in one of his better half-centuries while Baldeo, who also played some delightful drives, played the supporting role in their well compiled partnership.
However, the Young Warriors batsman seemed to lose concentration just after reaching fifty and top edged a sweep just short of the square leg fielder before being put down at extra cover on 60. Heytmer did not capitalize on his good fortune and was soon bowled by the expensive Wallace to leave the score on 122-2.
It was soon 138-3 when left-arm spinner Akini Adams trapped Ashjay Homraj LBW for five before Baldeo, who made 58, was removed by Wallace at 147-4.
Captain Sharaz Ramcharran (4) was removed by Wallace a run later before the elegant David Latchya, who again looked Berbice’s most complete batman, found a useful partner in Wicketkeeper Akeem Hinds and the pair took their team to 213 with an attractive 55-run stand before Latchya was bowled by 16-year-old fast bowler Paul for an entertaining 37.
It became 217-7 when Adams bowled Arif Chan for a duck and the last four wickets could only add 11 although Hinds contributed an important 30 batting with the tail before he was bowled by Paul. The last two Berbice batsmen were run out as Berbice lost their way after their good start.
Wallace (3-55), Paul (2-36) and Adams (2-33) were the most successful bowlers for Essequibo who lost Avinash Persaud, bowled for a duck by Neal Smith with 10 runs on the board.

With a strong wind swaying the branches of the coconut trees just beyond the Northern boundary under a clear blue sky, a spattering of spectators watched as Ricardo Peters and Himraj orchestrated a recovery with an 84-run partnership before Peters, who executed several audacious shots and reached his fifty from 67 balls, was LBW to Ramdhan at 92-2.
Paul, Essequibo’s most accomplished cricketer at this level and Himraj kept hopes alive with their 84-run third wicket stand on the large ground which Paul cleared with ease when he slog-swept Chan over the mid-wicket boundary.
Himraj brought up his fifty with his third boundary, a glorious cover drive off Baldeo. The landmark took 124 balls but like most of the other batsmen, he threw his wicket away with a wild swipe off Baldeo with the score 178-3 leaving Paul to try and win the game for Essequibo.
Paul, one of five centurions in the three-day competition, pulled Latchya for four to post his fifty from 59 balls with four sixes and a four but was then removed by Ramdhan at 202-4, while Drakes (12) fell to Chan two runs.
It came down to 12 from 12 and Parmesh Parstan (11*) played a Dilscoop as Chan bowled too fast and Ryan Adams swept the spinner for anther triple to leave three runs required from the final over.
Ramcharran is Berbice’s best bowler and was the leading wicket taker in the three-day competition so it was no surprise that the Skipper opted to bowl the final over.
Adams square drove the first ball right through the open legs of Chan at point for four to spark wild celebrations in the Essequibo camp. Essequibo captured nine points from the game while Berbice only managed a single point.
The competition continues tomorrow at Enmore and Everest.

---

---