By Calvin Roberts
Essequibo suffered humiliation at the hands of Demerara in their replayed first round match in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/ Jergens sponsored senior women’s’ inter county cricket competition at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground yesterday.
After winning the toss and inserting Demerara to take first strike in a game which was reduced to 35 overs per innings owing to late preparation of the pitch, the Cinderella County team bowled out their opponents’ powerful batting line up for a meagre 74 before being bowled out for 63 to suffer a humiliating defeat.
When Demerara batted, they found themselves in a spot of bother at 3-2 with the dangerous Wazeeda Samdally (1) and Abeena Parker (0) back in the pavilion courtesy of Marina Bridgemohan, who disturbed both batters’ stumps to the delight of her team mates and the, type’s team supporters.
When national player Darlene Gale was caught by Essequibo’s captain Althea Newark for four, Demerara were 12-3 in the seventh over, but a 26-run fourth wicket partnership featuring Faye Franklin (08) and Davanie Sewnarine (14) helped restore some order and respectability to the defending champions’ batting.
They carried the score to 38 before Franklin was bowled by La Donna Fredericks in the 14th over. The Demerara 50 was posted in the 17th over but another Desmona Hill double strike had left them precariously placed on 46-6.
Hill first sent back Sewnarine whom she had lbw and then Renita Isaacs four balls later. Player of the match Prudence Williams was joined by Victoria Bacchus but did not last long as Bacchus went bowled by Hill for 03 and was quickly followed by Williams who was caught by wicket keeper Kumarie Persaud off Bridgemohan for 08 that was decorated with one of the two fours struck in her teams’ innings.
Joann Van Sertima who struck the other boundary in her individual score of seven (7) along with some wayward bowling by Essequibo who contributed 27 extras (26 wides) help propelled Demerara to their final total as Hill (3-10) and Persaud and Bridgemohan with 3-15 each look set to set up the game for their County.
The Demerara players had other ideas on their minds as they hit the field hard and running from the first ball clearly indicating to their opponents that they have to work hard if they needed to emulate their male under-19 counterparts in this fixture.
Samdally made amends for her failure with the bat, giving her team the perfect start they would have needed with the ball when she had Judith Williams out lbw with the score on 9 with the first ball of her second over and the innings third. Williams had earlier swept her final delivery of the first over for four.
Wazeeda Bacchus (10) and Persaud (03) added 11 runs for the second wicket before Persaud also went via the lbw route to Samdally. At 20-2 in the seventh over of a 35 overs game, the Cinderella County team had no reason to panic much less hit the panic button in a cry for help.
Instead they did the opposite and found themselves wandering on 32-6 in the 14th over. Back in the pavilion were Hill (00 at 21-3), Bacchus (10 at 27-4), Olivia o’ Selmo (02 at 31-5) and Judith Williams (00 at 32-6).
Newark and Bridgemohan then added 25 runs for the seventh wicket and looked set to take their team to an upset victory as they countered the bowling of Prudence Williams (3-12) and Sewnarine (2-12).
But with the introduction of another national slow bowler in Parker (3-8) who helped herself to three lower order victims, Essequibo plunged from 32-6 to 63-9 in the 29th over. Parker bowled both Bridgemohan and Newark with flat and faster deliveries that had them jumping back before winning an lbw verdict over Delisa Daniels that put the writing on the wall for Essequibo.
Sewnarine returned to print same clearly when she knocked back the stumps of Melinoa Scott to spark off wild celebrations for her team and their vocal supporters in the pavilion.
Prudence Williams was adjudged player of the match for her fighting innings of 08 batting in Demerara’s lower order along with the figures of 3-12 that rocked the Essequibo middle order batting.
Action in the competition continues today with Essequibo who will be looking to redeem themselves taking on Berbice at the Lusignan Community Centre ground from 1100hrs.
