Debutant Rajendra Chandrika stroked his way to an attractive half century as Demerara defeated Essequibo by 83 runs in the first round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/El Dorado-sponsored Inter-county limited-overs competition at the Everest Cricket Club ground yesterday.
Asked to take first strike on a good batting wicket defending champions Demerara reached 242-5 from their 50 overs.
Chandrika top scored with 65 while Ravi Sarwan chipped in with an entertaining, unbeaten 44.
In reply, Essequibo was restricted to 159-9 from their 50 overs despite an unbeaten 31 from Navishal Pooran.
Earlier, Chandrika and national all rounder Christopher Barnwell, whose 37 came from 49 balls and included two fours and one six, put on a 61-run opening stand from 13.5 overs.
Barnwell and Chandrika took advantage of the power plays available to them before Dinesh Joseph took a catch at short midwicket to send back Barnwell off fast bowler Ryan Hercules who bowled unchanged to end with 1-29 from his 10 overs.
Chandrika and Demerara skipper Leon Johnson (41) consolidated the start with a 65-run second-wicket partnership from 17.3 overs with positive running between the wickets.
Chandrika slog-swept Andrew Williams (1-48) over backward square leg for four whilst Johnson eased left-arm orthodox spinner Robert Moore (3-54) through extra cover for two as the Demerara team’s 100 was raised in the 26th over.
Chandrika eventually reached his maiden half century with a cut through point off Williams for two from the 77th delivery he faced.
He was eventually dismissed caught by Mahase Richards off Moore.
All told, he faced 91 balls and struck three fours for his 65, and, at his demise, Demerara were 126-2 in the 32nd over.
Steven Jacobs, who replaced Chandrika, lasted only two balls before being adjudged lbw to Moore without scoring but Johnson found a useful partner in Krishna Deosarran who made 42.
Deosarran was given a life by Hercules at long on off Moore when on 16 and the score 158-3, the ball eventually going for six.
Demerara scored 84 runs in their final 10 overs mainly through the efforts of Deosarran and Sarwan after Johnson was bowled by Williams in the 41st over.
He had added 48 runs for the fourth wicket with Deosarran.
The runs continued to flow with some 14 runs coming from the final over bowled by Moore.
Sarwan was unbeaten on 44 from 36 balls with two fours and two sixes while Dion Ferrier was unbeaten on three.
Essequibo’s innings got off to a flyer with veteran opener Dinesh Joseph (30) to the fore.
Joseph drove the fourth delivery of the first over which was bowled by Barnwell through the covers for four as 13 runs came off it.
Spin was introduced after only eight overs with Johnson switching Kellon Carmichael (2-21) from the Southern End to the Northern End.
He received immediate success when Norman Fredericks (13) was bowled by a slower delivery from Carmichael at 44-1 in the ninth over.
As they have done over the years, Essequibo’s batting went into a self imposed free fall and they lost Osborne (01) to Ferrier and Yogeshwar Lall (08) to Carmichael to slump to 58-3 in the 15th over.
Richards hung around for a while with Joseph to add 14 for the fourth wicket but he was run out by Chandrika at mid on while Joseph was caught by Barnwell when he attempted to sweep a delivery from Zaheer Mohammed and top edged the ball to first slip.
When Goberdhan was caught by Chandrika also at mid on off Sauid Drepaul (2-39), Essequibo were 78-6 in the 28th over.
Hercules (27) joined Pooran whose unbeaten innings of 31 lasted 81 balls and was decorated with two sweetly timed sixes off the bowling of Drepaul and Jacobs (1-17).
They added 43 runs for the seventh wicket from 10 overs before Hercules was brilliantly caught by Deosarran on the long on boundary off Jacobs.
Garraway swept Drepaul for four before being caught by Deosarran at backward square leg, again sweeping and even though Moore drove Drepaul back past him like a bullet from a gun and followed that shot with an inside edge for a boundary, it was not enough as the Demerara slower bowlers maintained the stranglehold created by Carmichael to hold Essequibo to 159-9 at the end of their 50 overs.
Carmichael (2-21) and Drepaul (2-39) both from eight overs respectively, were the principal bowlers for Demerara while Ferrier ended with 1-14 from his 10 overs.
The competition will continue today, with Demerara opposing Berbice at the Blairmont Community Centre ground from 0930 hrs.