GCB Jaguars 3-day Franchise ….Persaud, Chanderpaul, Shepherd, Dhanpaul rally W/Dem to 253

Sep 03, 2016 Sports

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E/Bank 55-2 at close of day one

By Sean Devers
Pacer Romario Shepherd (2-12) picked up two late afternoon wickets as East Bank were 55-2 in reply to West Demerara’s 253, still 198 runs away from first innings honours, when day one of their second round GCB Jaguars

three-day Franchise ended at Everest yesterday.
Shepherd, in a lively spell after Tea, removed Ryan Shun (0) and Tevin Imlach (14) to catches to the Keeper to leave East Bank on 39-2 before Stephon Browne who played some lovely shots in his unbeaten 25 and West Indies ‘A’ team left-hander Vishaul Singh (5) took their side to the close without further loss.
East Bank, led by National player Steven Jacobs, invited West Demerara to bat on a flat track on which the odd ball kept low in sunny conditions and they lost four quick wickets.
Sherfane Rutherford got rid of Renaldo Renee (0) and Akshaya Persaud (4) before Jacobs removed Kemol Savory (3) and Guyana Franchise player Raymon Reifer (8) and at 37-4 West Demerara, beaten in two days by East Coast in the first round, were again in early trouble.
But 18-year-old Travis Persaud, arguable the most elegant batsman produced by West Demerara since Rabindranauth Seeram, joined Tagenarine Chanderpaul and proved the perfect foil for each other as they gradually dug their team out of a hole.
Persaud drove left-arm spinner Totaram Bishun majestically to the cover boundary while Chanderpaul, on 17 when the free flowing Persaud arrived at the crease, continued to bat sensible as the partnership progressed on slowish outfield.
Chanderpaul danced into Bishun and wacked him over mid-wicket for four, while Persaud played with consummate ease, stroking Bishun gloriously through cover for four. Chanderpaul caressed Sherfane Rutherford for an extra cover boundary and by Lunch West Demerara had reached 102-4 with Persaud, who was the dominant partner on 42 and Chanderpaul on 39.
After the interval, the small crowd watched as Chanderpaul got going with a couple of whips off his legs for twos while Persaud played a flowing cover drive off Shun which rocketed the boundary like a bullet.

Chanderpaul, who made 43 in his last innings at Lusignan, dumped pacer Colin Benn down the ground to go past Persaud but when well set for a fifty, played an uncharacteristic heave and skied the ball to cover and Benn celebrated breaking the 77-run fifth wicket stand. Chanderpaul’s 47 lasted 106 balls, 156 minutes and included five fours.
Shepherd announced his presence with back-to-back boundaries off Jacobs before Persaud on-drove Benn for two to reach a debut three-day fifty from 80 balls with five boundaries.
Shepherd slammed Rutherford brutally past mid-on for four as he batted in one-day fashion in his 42-ball 36 decorated with five fours, before he tried to pull a short ball from Bishun that kept low and lobbed a catch to gully at 161-6.
Two runs later Persaud, controversially left out of the Guyana team for the Regional U-19 one-day final in St Vincent, was out to a soft dismissal; caught and bowled by Singh.
Persaud who led a Guyana team which lacked unity in St Vincent, was well set for the tournament’s second ton when he departed for 53 from 96 minutes, 125 balls with five fours.
Persaud seemed affected by not being able to score freely after Lunch. His last 40 balls produced just three runs and when he was seventh out, East Bank must have fancied their chances of restricting the Franchise from the West side to under 200.
But that was not to be as Mahendra Dhanpaul and Kheshram Seyhodan took the bull by the horns and blasted a 56-run last wicket stand after joining forces when Bishun trapped Richie Looknauth (14) LBW at 197-9.
When Dhanpaul lofted Shun to cover he had hammered three fours and two sixes in a 50-ball 43 while Seyhodan was not out on 20. Jacobs, Bishun and Rutherford picked up two wickets each.
Meanwhile, at Albion, Georgetown reached 212 all out with Christopher Barnwell (35), Robin Bacchus (32), Andrew Light Jr (27), Dexter Solomon 26 and Ovid Richardson 25 leading the fight with the bat.
Veerasammy Permaul followed up his 10-80 in the first round with 4-53. First round centurion Jonathan Foo supported with 3-11 for Lower Corentyne who reached 123/3 at the close with the in-form Foo unbeaten on 75. Kandasammy Surujnarine made 35.
At Cumberland in Canjie, West Berbice fell for 171 with Raffael Estraido and Shimron Hetmyer scoring 34. Anthony Adams took 5-60, while his younger brother Akenie Adams followed up his five-wicket haul at Tuschen with 2-18.
Essequibo in reply are 111-8 despite Anthony Adams’ undefeated 30. Today is the second day and play is scheduled to commence at 09:30hrs in all of the games.

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