Chattergoon’s XI defeated Solomon’s XI by three runs in the first 50 overs-a-side under-17 trial match organized by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and played at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground yesterday.
Taking first strike on a good batting wicket and fast outfield, Chattergoon’s XI reached 165-8 at the end of their 45 overs, thanks mainly to the efforts of Quincy Ovid-Richardson who led all batsmen of the day with an accomplished 46 (54 balls, 7×4; 1×6), to which Solomon’s XI were restricted to 163-9 from their 45 overs.
Having lost his captain and opening partner Harrinarine Chattergoon who was caught by his counterpart wicketkeeper Dexter Solomon off the bowling of left arm swing bowler Andre Stoll for six at 28, Richardson and Kamal Ramkissoon (25) then added 43 runs for the second wicket from 11.1 overs.
Richardson was in a no-nonsense mood against the fast bowlers, hitting Sharmindra Hardyal over backward square off successive deliveries for four, while Stoll was also dispatched over forward square for four.
Hardyal also got some more roughing up from Ovid-Richardson, who played a magnificent square cut through the point region for four and when Stoll sent down a short delivery to him in the next over, he duly swivelled onto the back foot and dispatched it over backward square leg for six with disdain.
Essequibo’s Neil Ramalho replaced Stoll, and he was pulled by Richardson over midwicket for four. Ramkissoon also drove and pulled him for four, before Joemal La Fleur took a comfortable catch at midwicket off Ramalho to get rid of Richardson at 71-2.
Chattergoon’s XI then lost wickets rapidly and were it not for some robust hitting by national under-15 fast bowler Seon Daniels who struck four sixes in his unbeaten 29 scored off 21 balls, their total would not have been an imposing one in the end.
Daniels struck Arif Habib back over his head on three occasions and then over midwicket for his sixes with the last one being struck off the final delivery of the innings.
Guyana and West Indies under-15 right arm leg spinner Amir Khan who took five wickets (2-7 and 3-20) bowling for both teams, along with Habib 2-35 were the principal wicket takers for Solomon’s XI whose innings got off to a disastrous start when they began their reply.
They lost 14-year-old Dominique Rikhi who was caught by wicket keeper Andy Mohan off the fourth delivery bowled by Daniels, while Shameer Fazal was bowled in an unfamiliar fashion when a delivery from Rensford Beaton struck his bat, his chest, rolled onto his shoulder before hitting his wicket to leave his team perched on 2-7 in the second over.
At lunch they were 16-2 from four overs with Herrell Greene (09) on six and Dayanand Roopnarine (13) on five and they pushed the score to 35 before Greene struck a delivery hard but straight back to Daniels who held the offer in the seventh over.
Dillon Fernandes was bowled two balls later without scoring to leave Solomon’s XI precariously placed on 36-4 after seven overs.
Roopnarine and La Fleur then added 40 runs for the fifth wicket from 6.4 overs with the latter hitting Beaton through point and then the vacant gully region for successive boundaries, before flicking Daniels exquisitely through midwicket for another to push the score to 52-4 from nine overs.
They continued to attack the bowling as Solomon’s XI were scoring at more than six runs an over, with La Fleur playing an exquisite extra cover drive off national under-15 captain Kwame Crosse who had replaced Beaton from the southern end of the ground.
But Crosse returned to remove both batsmen, with Roopnarine being magnificently caught by Ovid Richardson who had to run back from mid-on to long-on to take the catch, while La Fleur was bowled when he attempted to cut at a short delivery that kept low.
Skipper Solomon (35) and Habib (16) then added 36 runs for the seventh wicket , with the former hitting Crosse through point for four, but not before Habib had struck off spinner Ricardo Devers inside out over mid off for four to raise the team’s 100 off the final delivery of the 21st over.
Solomon also struck Berbice left arm orthodox spinner Trinson Carmichael through extra cover and over mid-off for boundaries, whilst Habib struck Devers through a wide long-on position for another, before being caught by Mohan off Anthony Adams at 128-7 in the 34th over.
Solomon went at 154-9 after Hardyal who struck Adams over long-on for six was bowled by Khan.
Solomon went down the wicket to Chattergoon and was beaten in the flight before Mohan effected the stumping.
His team needed seven runs to win off the final over that was bowled by Khan, but they managed only four of them as Stoll (7; 1×4) was caught by Daniels at mid on off the final delivery as he attempted to hit the bowler out of the ground with his team needing three runs to win. Khan (3-20), Daniels (3-31) and Crosse with 2-17 were the successful bowlers for Chattergoon’s XI.
The second of three trial matches will be played today at the same venue from 09:30am.
