An explosive maiden half century from Andre Stoll followed by a fiery burst from national under-15 fast bowler Seon Daniels helped Demerara dominate a depleted Berbice team in a rain-ruined first day of their Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Clico sponsored under-17 two-day competition at the Wales Community Centre ground yesterday.
Replying to Demerara’s first innings score of 176 from 63.4 overs of which Stoll blasted his way to an even 50, Berbice were reeling on 26-4 from 10.1 overs when rain stopped play at 14:34hrs, with Daniels ripping through their batting to claim 4-15.
Scores: Demerara 176 all out, Berbice 26-4.
And even though the rains abated at 14:55hrs, water from the covers which were being removed, drained onto the pitch and despite the valiant efforts of the groundsmen, no play was possible, forcing the umpires to call of the day’s proceedings at 15:50hrs.
Earlier, defending champions Berbice, who need to win the match outright to retain the championship, won the toss and asked the hosts to take first strike on a wicket that was soft from its preparation.
They reaped early success when national under-19 fast bowler Keon Joseph (1-22) had Shameer Fazal caught at first slip by Harrinarine Chattergoon without scoring.
Dillon Fernandes (22) who replaced Kamal Ramkissoon for this encounter, and Quincy Ovid (33) added 40 runs for the second wicket with Fernandes cutting away at anything short and loose outside his off stump from the faster bowlers.
He cut Sharmindra Hardyal over point for four to open his account and when Joseph, who looked more ordinary than when he played against Essequibo, served up another short delivery, he too was sent crashing through the vacant gully area by Fernandes which took the score to 38-1 in the seventh over.
Chattergoon figured he had seen enough from his faster bowlers, and immediately called on his spinners to exploit the conditions being offered on the slow turning track, to which they duly obliged.
Jamal La Fleur (4-29) and Trinson Carmichael (1-60) kept a tight rein on the batsmen, even though Fernandes did hit Yogeshwar Deonarine (2-25) back over his head for four which pushed the score to 46-1 in the 10th over before he was caught by Hardyal on the mid-wicket boundary off Deonarine.
He faced 32 balls and struck four fours during his stay at the wicket with Ovid who was bent on playing the supporting role.
Demerara reached their 50 when Ovid struck Carmichael over point for four in the 14th over of their innings. But he lost Dayanand Roopnarine (06) who was caught by Chattergoon at slip off La Fleur at 69-3.
Ovid departed 11 runs later at 80-4, but not before he struck Carmichael through point for another boundary, the first one in 18 overs as the spinners kept a tight rein on the proceedings.
When the umpires signalled time for lunch, Demerara were 93-4 with captain Dexter Solomon on four and Arif Habib nine.
After lunch, Habib, who was dropped by Jamally Odle at forward short leg off Carmichael when on five, was run out by Chattergoon as he attempted a third run from the second ball after lunch.
National under-15 captain Kwame Crosse joined Solomon, but he too did not last long as he holed out to La Fleur stationed at mid -wicket off Carmichael. His demise made way for Stoll and immediately things started looking bright for Demerara.
He is known for his swashbuckling hitting and he did not disappoint his teammates. He supplied some boisterous shots off the slower bowlers, especially after given a life by no one else but Odle (again) who grassed an offer off the bowling of Chattergoon whilst stationed at cover.
Stoll proceeded to treat the bowling with disdain, dispatching Carmichael over long-on for six three times, the first being the first boundary after 11 boundary less overs, which best describes the position the spinners had the Demerara batsmen in prior to his arrival.
When La Fleur sent down a loose delivery on his leg stump, he was dispatched through forward square-leg for a boundary, a feat repeated by Solomon who was a bystander throughout Stoll’s parade.
He raised his maiden half century with a gentle push to long-off. He faced 47 balls and struck four sixes and two fours, but in his attempt to further step up the scoring rate, he holed out his 48 delivery to Andrew Dennis on the midwicket boundary at 167-7 in the 61st over.
Solomon followed shortly after, caught and bowled by La Fleur and the Demerara innings quickly went into decline as La Fleur keeping a tight rein on things from one end, knocked back the off-stump of Ricardo Devers leaving Daniels unbeaten on three.
La Fleur ended with 4-29 from 24.4 overs 11 of which were maidens and received support from Deonarine who took 2-25.
When Berbice began their reply, Daniels who shared the new ball with Crosse in the absence of Stoll who was suffering from low blood pressure after his innings, troubled the Ancient County openers in Chattergoon and La Fleur and should have had the former caught off the final delivery of the first over, but Fazal grassed the chance at first slip.
As if to add insult to injury, Chattergoon struck the next delivery he received from Daniels through backward square-leg for four to open his account, but the bowler responded by hitting the off-stump of Chattergoon to spark off celebrations.
Four balls later, he rapped Clinton Pestano on his pads and had him adjudged lbw to leave Berbice on 12-2 after five overs.
At the other end, La Fleur opened his account with a sweetly timed drive through point off Crosse, but he too was sent back by Daniels when substitute Medha Dhanpaul took a diving catch at backward square-leg.
Daniels was running in like a man possessed and the Berbicians were probably thanking their lucky stars when he only had two overs of the maximum six he is allocated to bowl in a session, after he left them perched on 21-3. However, he was not done as he accounted for Jamally Odle who was coming off a half century off Essequibo in his last outing to leave them shakily placed on 21-4 in the ninth over of their innings.
But it was the rain which saved them as Daniels was looking for his fifth wicket and would have had same had Fernandes not mis- judged a chance offered by Dennis before he had scored whilst fielding at backward point.
Today is the final day with play set to commence at 09:30hrs. All Demerara need is a draw to win the championship while Berbice need a victory – something that is highly unachievable at this moment, given the bowling mood Daniels is in.
