By Calvin Roberts at
Rose Hall, Canje
Controlled bowling from spin twins Trinson Carmichael and Jamal La Fleur with 3-18 each placed Berbice into a commanding position against Essequibo in their second round clash of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/ Clico sponsored under-17 two-day inter county match at the Rose Hall Canje ground yesterday.
Replying to the now insurmountable 180-8 made by the defending champions from their 65 overs, the Cinderella County team was shakily placed on 80-7 off 25 of their 65 overs at the end of the day’s play as they struggled to contend with the spin of La Fleur and Carmichael.
They first had to contend with the pace of national under-19 fast bowler Keon Joseph (1-30) which they handled well.
Openers Herrell Greene (20) and Jermaine Hohenkirk posted 23 runs for the first wicket with Greene tickling Joseph, whose radar was certainly not in good working condition, to fine leg for four.
He followed it up by hitting Sharmindra Hardyal through the midwicket region for another boundary and then steered a Joseph no-ball, one of six that he bowled, through the slips cordon for four.
But during his counter attacking spree, he lost Hohenkirk who was bowled by Joseph for five.
Kerron Mc Lennon joined Greene and they added a further 21 runs for the second wicket with some sensible running between the wickets.
But just when they looked as if they would steer their team out of trouble, Berbice captain Harrinarine Chattergoon introduced Carmichael into the attack and disaster struck for the Essequibians.
Mc Lennon was adjudged lbw to Carmichael for seven at 44-2 which soon became 49-3, when Greene also went lbw but this time to La Fleur who had replaced Joseph.
Joseph faced 28 balls and struck three fours whilst batting for 48 minutes for his 20.
Greene’s demise saw the flood gates open and both La Fleur and Carmichael wasted no time in capitalizing on same.
Essequibo’s batsmen only came to the wicket as a matter of formality as they failed to negotiate the spin of Carmichael and La Fleur.
Captain Dwayne Singh (0) Rovi Harris (04) Rowell Cornelius (04) and Rensford Beaton (03) all departed in quick succession to leave their team stuttering on 74-7 in the 23rd over of their innings, leaving Neil Ramalho (06*) and Anthony Adams (10*) to survive the final two overs of the day from their tormentors.
Earlier, Essequibo won the toss and invited the host team to take first strike on a slow batting track. However, they would have been smiling at making such a decision, when national under-15 opener La Fleur was adjudged lbw to Rensford Beaton after hitting the bowler through midwicket for four two balls earlier at 5-1 in the second over.
Things could have been worse for Berbice had wicketkeeper Greene held onto a regulation catch offered by national under-15 opener Chattergoon (40) who was given two lives by the Cinderella County team, as Hohenkirk stationed at slip, failed to hold onto one off Beaton.
But they managed to hold them to 180-8 from their 65 overs.
Chattergoon made his opponents pay for the let off with an audacious straight drive off Neil Ramalho that went all along the ground for four.
Two overs later, he waded into the bowling of his opposite counterpart Dwayne Singh by hitting him over mid on twice for boundaries.
He added 70 for the second wicket with the diminutive Dominique Rikhi (26) seeing his team to 71-1 at lunch from 28 overs.
Chattergoon was on 36 and Rikhi, who had struck Singh through mid wicket for four, on 18.
After lunch Chattergoon, who had guided Fredericks through the slip cordon for four, was caught by Greene playing a loose shot off the same bowler.
He faced 91 balls and struck six fours whilst batting for 123 minutes whilst adding 70 for the second wicket with Rikhi who was on 18 at his dismissal.
Rikhi followed soon after when he was caught by Renville Badrinauth at square leg for 26.
He faced 99 balls and struck three fours during his 123 minutes sojourn at the wicket. With the score reading 88-3 in the 35th over at Rikhi’s demise, Clinton Pestano (32) and Jamally Odle (18) both of whom represented Guyana at the under-15 level, then featured in a 48-run, fourth-wicket partnership, with Pestano being severe on the Essequibo bowlers hitting Rowell Cornelius over midwicket for four to raise the 100 in the 39th over.
Two balls later and the same bowler was struck down to long leg by Pestano who proceeded to hit Singh over extra cover and midwicket for boundaries, pushing the score to 120-3 in the 43rd over.
Odle also took a liking to Singh by hitting him over cover for four, whilst he struck Anthony Adams over mid on for another boundary.But when they were well set to see the defending champions to a formidable total, Odle went caught at midwicket by Hohenkirk off the bowling of Kerron Mc Lennon (2-11) at midwicket at 136-4.
Mc Lennon struck again when he had Pestano smartly stumped by Greene at 142-5 and it was an uphill struggle for Berbice after.Even though Andrew Dennis struck Mc Lennon over extra cover for four during his fighting knock of 15, Berbice who lost Sharmindra Hardyal caught and bowled by Neil Ramalho (1-33) for two on the stroke of tea where they were 152-6 from 54.5 overs, ambled to 180 at the end of their 65 overs against the bowling of Adams who removed Dennis and Joseph in successive overs to finish with 2-30.
Today is the final day, and Essequibo will need to put on a better batting display if they want to avoid a second successive defeat, as they need a further 100 runs to make Berbice bat again and, with Shaun Garraway out of action for six weeks, such a feat is highly unlikely for the Cinderella County team.