GCA’s Carib Beer t20 Cricket... Police arrest GDF at MSC

GCA’s Carib Beer t20 Cricket… Police arrest GDF at MSC

Sep 27, 2015 Sports

MSC, GCC, DCC & GNIC advance to semis

By Sean Devers

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) did a poor job in defending their total as they were arrested by Police at the Malteenoes ground yesterday in final preliminary round of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Carib Beer t20 division one cricket tournament.
Yesterday’s match was of only academic interest since leaders MSC and GNIC have already qualified for the semis from Zone ‘A’, while DCC, who topped Zone ‘B’ and GCC are the other two semi-finalists.
The semi-finals are set for this weekend with MSC at home to GCC and Zone leaders DCC facing-off with GNIC at DCC.
Yesterday GDF opted to bat first on a track with variable bounce and were dismissed for 137 off 20 overs despite 30 from Niel Smith and 24 from Dexter Solomon.
Left-arm spinner Anthony Adams (3-28), Troy Benn (2-15) and Kelvin Leitch (2-1) did the damage with the ball for the Lawmen who galloped to 138-4 from just 12.3 overs.
Adams scored a quick-fire 30 before Kelvin Leitch (40*) and Shaid Gittens (37*) completed the job with their unfinished 77-run fifth wicket stand as pacer Gilford Moore took 2-21 from three overs.
In sweltering heat with white cotton wool-like clouds drifting lazily over the Malteenoes sward, the left-handed Leon Andrews (3) and Berbician Jomal Lafleur (12) put on 20 for the first wicket before LaFleur had his stumps scattered by Gittens.
Sherwin McPherson had enough time to change uniforms before holding the catch at mid-on as Andrews skied Benn ‘miles’ into the air at 29-2.
Benn then removed Berbician Kevin Ramdeen (8) while Akeem Hinds (9) soon departed before Marcus Watkins, who was just beginning to flow on 14 when he was run out by the length of the pitch as Solomon turned his back on his Skipper as Watkins struck the ball to mid-on and GDF had slipped to 62-5.
Solomon hit two fours and a six as he found his rhythm and along with Smith, one of the four Berbicians in the Army’s line-up, escaped from the shackles of the cops with 50-run partnership before Solomon was caught off Adams at 108-6.
Leitch got rid of Berbician Romario Sheppard (9) and Jerimiah Harris (0) in quick succession before Smith, who reached the boundary twice and cleared it once, was removed by Adams as only four GDF batsmen managed double figures.
Police began their run chase like a house on fire with McPherson dumping spinner Ravi Persaud for a colossal six and a couple of spanking fours before he was caught behind. But the eventful over wasn’t finished as yet and Adams’s six meant it had cost 27 runs and produced a wicket.
Andrew Lyght (1) was LBW to Moore, while Benn (5) was trapped in front to LaFleur and when Adams, who was dropped at mid-on on 21 off Moore, played a lawless swipe at Moore and was taken at third-man after hitting three fours and two sixes (61-4) in the sixth over as the soldiers were hoping that the reckless shot selections would continue.
But that was not to be as the 100 was posted in the ninth over and all that was needed to see Police home was sensible batting, and that was exactly what Leitch and Gittens did.
Without sacrificing the big shots, the pair took the attack the bowlers with some crunching shots.
Leitch savagely cut his former Bermine team-mate Sheppard, who bowled with some pace, for a couple of fours when he bowled short and when Persaud was switch to the Northern end, pulled him a brutal six and flicked off his legs next ball for four as the partnership flourished.
Gittens was not to be overshadowed and greeted Smith with a pugnacious drive back past his ankles like a scud missile, while Leitch pivoted and pulled Smith for four when he insisted on bowling short on a slow track and finished the contest with another pull for two.