Latest update August 1st, 2026 12:35 AM
Latest News
GCA’s Noble House Seafood’s 2-day cricket…UG teach GCC a lesson at Bourda
By Sean Devers
At a venue which hosted the first ever win by the West Indies in Test cricket in 1930 but which is now in a dilapidated condition, University of Guyana (UG) taught GCC a lesson with a 126-run win at Bourda in their two-day GCA Noble House Seafood’s second division contest which ended yesterday.
Diquan Murray gets his finger tips to a bullet-like shot from Michael Shalim who made 68 at Bourda yesterday.
Played under a cloudless sky on a flat track, the Students opted to bat first in sultry conditions and were dismissed for 191 on the opening day with Melroy Stephenson (40), Mahendra Persaud (37), Dwayne Dodson (28) and Leon Williams (19) all getting starts for the Turkeyen based team. Stephenson and Persaud added 85 for the sixth wicket for UG to rescue them from a spot of bother.
Lively pacer Cleon Critchlow (2-25), Diquan Murray (2-46), Stephon Wilson (2-28) and Vikash Persaud (2-39) were the successful bowlers for GCC who ended day one on 69-6, still 122 runs away from first innings points.
Emanuel Ford, the Nephew of former Guyana batsman Rupert Gomes, top scored with 18 but only got assistance from Samuel McKenzie (14), Vikash Persaud (11) and Stephon Wilson (10) as the home team fell for 93 yesterday. Off-spinner Denis Haywood grabbed 5-35 and got support from Lloyd George (3-31).
With a lead of 98, UG were led by an attractive 46-run sixth wicket stand between Michael Shalim, who played an array of enterprising shots in a delightful 68 and Williams, who was LBW to Murray for 26 as UG reached 136-7 before they declared at Lunch.
The right-handed Shalim stroked three fours and three sixes and also dominated a 42-run fourth wicket partnership with Dodson (7) who proved an excellent foil for the free-flowing Shalim, who reached his fifty with a couple of boundaries off Wilson, the last one going for six.
Shalim was eventually bowled by Ford at 126-6 before Stephenson put his foot on the gas with a cameo 20 towards the end to set up the declaration despite some good fast bowling from Critchlow, who operated unchanged for an hour in steaming heat and was on a hat-trick to finish with 3-33 and five scalps in the game.
With victory an unlikely proposition, the target of 234 to win from a minimum of 56 overs was of only academic interest to the Bourda boys whose main focus should have been on occupying the crease for as long as possible.
GCC started their second innings in horrendous fashion when Ford (3) was run out at 15-1 when he was found casually lingering out of his crease and made no attempt to make good his ground when the return came in and the bails were removed.
Things got progressively worse when Kennard Moonsammy (11) was removed at 24-2 and when Samuel McKenzie, who was beginning to look good on 21, was taken at silly mid-off as he pushed forward to Dodson as GCC slipped to 58-3.
A succession of inept shot selection orchestrated the demise of most of the batsmen, who seemed locked in t20 mode at a time when dogged and responsible batting was required.
Wilson (20) and Critchlow, who batted sensibly for his 11, frustrated the bowlers on the quick outfield before Critchlow was run out going for an unnecessary run to seal UG’s win with 30 minutes to go and put an exclamation mark on GCC’s brainless batting exhibition. Haywood, who had two catches dropped off of his bowling, took 4-18 to finish with 9-53 in the match.
Share this:
Discover more from Kaieteur News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.