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Beaton, Paul bowl E’bo into Tuesday’s final against B’ce
GCB’s 50-overs Inter-County…
By Sean Devers at Providence
On a day blessed with brilliant sunshine, incisive fast bowling from West Indies pacers Ronsford Beaton and Man-of-the-match Keemo Paul bowled Essequibo to an exciting 10-run win over Demerara in the final preliminary round of the GCB’s senior 50-over tournament at Providence yesterday.
Steven Sankar fails to take a difficult return catch from Wasim Mohamed before dismissing him for 22 to take 3-43. (Sean Devers photo)
Beaton (4-38) and Paul (4-50) conspired to dismiss Demerara for 146 in 31.1 overs replying the Essequibo’s 156 from 41.2.
Akshaya Persaud (36), Leon Johnson (29) and Tevin Imlach (28) all got starts but could not go on for Demerara.
Kemol Savory followed up his first round ton with 66 from 119 balls with a single four while only Wasim Mohammed (22) reached 15 as leg-spinner Stevin Sankar had 3-43 to finish with nine wickets, while Renaldo Ali Mohammed (3-28) and Chris Barnwell (2-23) bowled well in a losing effort.
When Demerara began their chase they lost Tagenarine Chanderpaul LBW for a duck in the first over without a run on the board as Beaton, who operated with genuine pace on a track that had dried out nicely.
Beaton, charging in under a blue sky then got rid of Joshua Persaud (13) at 22-2 and a nice little gathering in the Green Stand which included 10 U-17 cricketers from Golden Grove on the East Coast of Demerara and mostly Essequibo supports, were making plenty of noise.
Imlach and the in-form Johnson played several enterprising shots and took the score to 72 before Imlach edged Beaton to wicket-keeper Savory.
Barnwell (3) was bowled by left-arm spinner Garfield Phillips five runs later and when Johnson, the leading run-scorer with 233 runs, pulled Paul to deep mid-wicket at 88-5, the Essequibians were in the ascendancy.
Kemol Savory sweeps during his carefully constructed 66 at Providence yesterday. (Sean Devers photo)
Sherfane Rutherford and Akshaya Persaud temporarily silenced the Essequibo fans with a 48-run sixth wicket partnership.
Akshaya Persaud stroked three elegant off side boundaries off Beaton in an over that cost 16 runs, while Rutherford (18) hit two fours and a six before he pulled Beaton to mid-on and when Paul bowled Ali-Mohammed (3) at 133-7 the game was in the balance.
Askaya Persaud seemed a bit unlucky to be given LBW to Paul at 144-7 before Beaton had Looknauth (2) LBW at 146-9.
Torrington joined Sankar and was dropped first ball by Paul at second slip to deny Beaton getting the first five-wicket haul in the tournament.
A big shot from Sankar (2) went to long-on but he refused the single and was caught at mid-off next ball as Ricardo Adams put his team into Tuesday’s day/night final when they face-off with defending champions Berbice.
After the well-deserved win, the entire Essequibo team went to meet their fans.
Earlier, Demerara asked Essequibo to bat on a fairly fast outfield and track which provided ‘Tennis ball’ bounce due to the moisture and they were off to a bad start when Eknauth Persaud (1) fell to Barnwell at 8-1.
Askaya Persaud top scored for Demerara but Ronsford Beaton bowled Essequibo to a memorable win. (Sean Devers photo)
Kevin Boodie, the only batter with a double century in 50-over Inter-County cricket and Savory, took the score to 33 before Essequibo lost two wickets on that score.
Boodie (13) and Keemo Paul (0) were removed by Ali-Mohammed in the same over.
Ricardo Adams joined the rock solid Savory, who stroked Rutherford sweetly past cover for four as the 50 came up in 16.2.
But just after swatting Mohammed over mid-on for four, Adams (12) was caught trying to repeat the shot off the next ball to give Mohammed his third scalp at 59-4.
Three runs later, Anthony Adams was LBW for a duck as the experienced Barnwell struck again.
Savory, not taking any undue risks, was joined by the aggressive Mohammed who played mostly the big shots with Savory contented to rotate the strike and run twos.The 100 came up in the 29th over.
The Essequibo players celebrate with their vocal fans yesterday. (Sean Devers Photo)
But with the score on 110, Mohammed, who deposited Looknauth for six, hit Sankar to long-on, as he played in T20 mode, which is the only format played in Essequibo.
The big hitting Quentin Sampson could not repeat the heroics of his explosive 85 at Bourda against Berbice and was dismissed by the impressive Sankar at 119-7, and Savory, who was batting doggedly, was in danger of running out of partners.
Beaton hit Sankar back past his ankles for a boundary but with Essequibo on 144, Sankar had the last laugh when Beaton (7) was trapped LBW.
Savory’s 50 came from 96 balls with a single boundary before Looknauth had Neiland Cadogan (1) caught and bowled before removing Savory six runs later to end the innings in 41.2 overs.
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