Defending champions Georgetown under astute leadership from Shaquille Williams, along with a solid all round performance from Chanderpaul Hemraj, demoralized their host West Demerara to come away with a 96-run victory in their first round clash of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB)/Nalico/Nafico-sponsored Under-15 Inter-association match yesterday.

Playing at the Canal Number Two ground on a dusty pitch with lots of uneven bounce, Georgetown won  the toss and opted to take first strike and  were bowled out for 133 in 42 overs, with Surat (32) and Chanderpaul Hemraj (27) being the principal scorers.

The two added 37 valuable runs for the third wicket for their team, with Surat hitting five fours and Hemraj two and a maximum, before they were separated, after which Kumar Singh (14) was the lone batsman to reach double figures.

Akshaya Persaud (2-5) and Treon Bobb with 2-12 were the principal wicket takers for West Demerara, who found the bowling of Hemraj (4-7) along with Surat and Kareem Naughton who both grabbed 2-7, difficult to manoeuvre and crumbled for a paltry 37 from 23.1 overs.

Bobb returned with the bat to top score with 14 which included two lovely drives for four and a pugnacious pull over backward square leg off Williams for a maximum and apart from extras with 13, no other batsman managed to pass five for West Demerara who were 13-7 before Bobb’s exploits.

Williams was very inspirational in the field, snapping up three reflex catches low down to his right while stationed at a solitary slip position. Wicketkeeper Dinesh Mangal who was on the standby list to Safraz Esau last year proved the selectors right this year with two lightening fast stumpings, including Bobb after he had dispatched Williams.