A five-wicket haul by GYO off-spinner Ken Alphonso and a blistering hundred by Malteenoes’s Lennox Cush highlighted the start of the fifth round of the GCA/Cellink Plus first-division cricket competition on Sunday.
At the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground, where Everest Cricket Club [ECC] is pitted against Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO), Everest won the toss and invited GYO to take first strike.
The boys from Woolford Avenue were paced to 233 all out primarily through an aggressive 89 [10x4s; 4x6s] by Carl Bowen. Bowen received good support from Amernauth Debidial, 45 (7x4s); Ken Alphonso,16; Kwame Krosse, 17 and Kevin Singh, 19 not out.
Leg-spinner Troy Gonsalves was the leading wicket-taker for Everest with 3-59, supported by Surendra Hiralall,2-19,while C. Patadin, K. Lake, and S. Ragnandan chipped in with one wicket apiece.
When Everest took to the crease they found the going rough against the off-spin of Ken Alphonso, who sliced through the upper order, so far bagging 5-26 from eight overs. S. Mohammed and D. Koulen chipped in with one wicket each.
The only significant resistance for Everest so far has come from Mahendra Singh, 41 not out (4x4s,1×5) and Suhendra Hiralall,20 (4x4s) as the Camp Road club ended the day precariously placed on 126-7.
Over at Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC), GYO’s neighbours, Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC), won the toss and invited the homesters to bat. Malteenoes rattled up a formidable 303 all out, through a brisk 57 [6x4s] from opener Elton Adams, a belligerent 145 (12x4s; 8x6s) from all-rounder Lennox Cush and an aggressive 42 (3x6s;1×4) from former national player, Neil Barry.
Veteran off-spinner Clyde Butts claimed 5-70 off 21 overs, and Martin Rajmangal, 3-71 off thirteen. Butts’s son, Collis, chipped in with 1-23 from seven.
GNIC in reply were 63-1 at the close. E. Baker fell for five, while M. Rajmangal and S. De Souza are 18 n.o. and 27n.o., respectively. These matches will continue on Saturday.