Hand-in-Hand 3-day U-19 Inter-County cricket...Spinners dominate as Benjamin’s 50 give Berbice 1st innings points

Hand-in-Hand 3-day U-19 Inter-County cricket…Spinners dominate as Benjamin’s 50 give Berbice 1st innings points

May 06, 2019 Sports

On another wet and windy day at Lusignan the spinners on both sides exploited a track with bounce and turn and batsmen who lacked the temperament to play spin as Berbice, led by Garfield Benjamin’s even fifty, took first innings points from Essequibo as the second day of their Hand-in-Hand three-day U-19 second round Inter-County encounter ended prematurely yesterday.
Responding to Berbice’s 200, Essequibo were dismantled for 62 after being dismissed for 75 in the first round by Demerara at Bourda.

Kevin Umroa followed his 5 wickets against the
U-17s with 5-24 yesterday at Lusignan.

The defending Champions began a day in which the entire first session was washed out due morning rain, on 107-7 as the Essequibians won the only session on Saturday before bad light stopped play.
The overnight pair of Benjamin and Nigel Deodat extended their seventh wicket stand to 81 as both batsmen batted well after play started after Lunch.
Benjamin, who reached the boundary four times and cleared it once in his 145-minute and 122-ball 50, shared in a crucial half-century stand on the slow outfield with Deodat, whose 48 lasted 85 minutes and 84 balls and was decorated with four boundaries as they consolidated the position to help push their team to the 200 mark.
Persaud, who again bowled the bulk of the overs (31.1), bowled too fast and frequently ‘pulled down’ the ball; offering free scoring opportunities and on a track which provided prodigious turn, as he used his arm ball as his wicket-taking ball.
He eventually broke the partnership which had dashed Essequibo’s hopes of limiting Berbice to a 150 score as it seemed likely when play started when he removed Deodat at 172-7 and Benjamin at 189-8.
Leon Swamy hit a six and a four but was removed by Persaud for 12 as the burly spinner ended with 6-93. Fellow off-spinner Lance Roberts supported with 4-42 from 18 overs as many off the batsmen gifted their wickets with poor shot selection.
When Essequibo began their reply, Orlando Jailall (18) and Kevin Christian (14) provided their team with a promising start with Jailall hitting three boundaries off Swamy, including a glorious square drive.
But with the score on 20, Jailall, who made 27 and 60 at Bourda, played his favourite shot, an on drive with too much bottom hand as he hit left-arm spinner Kelvin Umroa to deep wide mid-on.
Amir Singh never suggested permanence and edged Kevlon Anderson, bowling seam, to slip for a duck, while a run later, Umroa trapped Roberts (0) LBW at 23-3.
Jerimiah Scott (4) seemed in a great hurry and lifted Umroa just over the head of mid-on four but repeated the ill-advised shot and was taken at mid-on as Umroa struck once more.
When Anderson sent back Christian and Bhumeshwar Ramkisoon (2) with the score on 40, no one else except pacer Elian Whyte (10) reached double figures.
Umroa followed up his five-wicket haul in the first round with 5-24 yesterday but his new action seems to be hampering his ability to the extract the prodigious turn he got last year and like Persaud is bowling too quickly despite his success in this tournament.
Umroa and Anderson (3-12) were supported by Chris Harry who finished with 2-6 to wrap up the innings.
Another shower prevented Berbice, with a lead of 132, to start their second innings and with more rain forecast for today the 9:30 hrs start seems unlikely. (Sean Devers)