Berbice continued their dominance over the Rest Team on day two of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Four-Day tournament at the Blairmont Community Centre ground by securing a 190-run first innings lead yesterday.
Berbice, defending champions for the last five years, after posting 392 from 99 overs made light work of the Rest Team by bowling them out for 202 from 79.3 overs. Left arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul bagged 5-65 (29.3) while he got support from debutant right arm off spinner Stephen Latcha, who took 2-43 from 20 overs.
The Rest team batsmen who made any substantial contributions were all guilty of throwing their hands away. Wasim Haslim (52), Delbert Hicks (40), Jonathan Foo (33) and Ryan Ramdass (26) all fell at critical periods as they chased a huge total on a pitch that was tailor-made for batting and offered nothing to the pacers and turned square for the spinners.
Earlier, when Cellink Berbice resumed on their overnight score of 369-8, Kellon Carmichael was again among the wickets with 4-54 from 15 overs of varied medium pace. Spinner Krishendat Ramoo also contributed with 4-92 (36) as the Berbicians batted another nine overs.
It was not the start that the Rest Team had anticipated in their response to Cellink Berbice’s first innings total of 392 all out. Former national opening batsman Shemroy Barrington, attempting a bold drive away from his body, had his middle stump uprooted by Berbice’s opening bowler, right medium pacer Esaun Crandon in the first over.
Subsequently, while former West Indies opener Ramdass and Captain Gajanand Singh sought to settle the nerves of the Rest Team’s bench after the early loss. There were some nervous moments initially with communication between the two batsmen. Eventually the two settled in on the slow wicket that offered very little for the pacers.
The two most senior batsmen in the side were vigilant: three boundaries were hit, two of which came off the bat of Ramdass while their running between the wicket improved tremendously. They took their team to lunch with the score on 42-1 after 17 overs; Ramdass was on 25 while Singh had 13.
When the post-lunch period began spinners Permaul and Latcha pegged away at the batsmen with their menacing variations. They had a few confident shouts turned down by the umpires.
However, it was debutant off spinner Latcha who made the breakthrough when he had Singh caught behind off a thin outside edge in the sixth over after the break when the score was 43. Left arm orthodox spinner, Permaul, held up the pressure before Latcha in his next over bowled Ramdass, who misread the pitch of the delivery.
The Rest Team slipped to 44-3 as the spinners maintained the pressure and the Berbice team were in attack mode. At this point, Captain Royston Crandon, who scored 117 in his team’s innings, had two fielders under the bat, an orthodox first slip and a leg slip.
The aggressive Haslim took some pressure off, if only temporarily, when he cut Permaul through cover and then followed up with a pull to the backward square boundary for another boundary. At the start of Permaul’s next over Haslim, on one knee, went over the infield for another boundary to long off.
Haslim took on Permaul once again and hit him for back-to-back boundaries through the midwicket region. Haslim’s partner Foo was granted a reprieve, twice off successive balls from off spinner Narsingh Deonarine, when he was dropped by Richard Ramdeen at short leg while on seven and the score on 78.
Haslim started to dominate the bowling, cutting Deonarine for four through cover. Then he was dropped at second slip off Latcha by Chattergoon on 32 when the score was 90. Foo began to add his touch to the proceedings with two boundaries through extra cover and then a push down to deep mid on to bring up his team’s 100 off Latcha in the 43rd over.
The next seven overs yielded 26 runs before tea with the score on 126-3. Haslim was a run away from his maiden Inter-County half century while Foo was on 32.
With the resumption of tea the pattern of losing wickets after the break became more evident: Haslim brought up his 50, Foo played an inelegant cut and was caught behind and then Haslim was caught on the backward square boundary after attempting a sweep.
Foo, after adding 85 runs for the fourth wicket with Haslim, departed after putting one to his tea time score. Permaul got his revenge on his return to the attack when he had Haslim caught by Latcha for 52, which included nine fours.
The Rest Team made another slip when the score was 129 but Deon Ferrier and Hicks looked poised to repair their team’s innings that lost wickets at crucial junctures of the run chase. But Ferrier‘s innings was punctuated when he was caught at cover by Esaun Crandon for 18 (3×4) attempting a backfoot drive off Permaul.
Hicks picked up the reins and guided the innings along with Ramoo, who made nine before being caught by substitute fielder at short leg off the bowling of Deonarine when the score was 185.
The left handed Hicks lasted 86 minutes at the crease and struck five fours in his 87-ball innings. Permaul ensured the further decline of the Rest Team, picking up the last three wickets to ensure they folded at 202 all out from 79.3 overs.
Scoreboard
Berbice Innings
S. Chattergoon c & b Rammo 87
R. Ramdeen c Foo b Ramoo 50
N. Deonarine c Ferrier b Ramoo 22
A. Fudadin b Ferrier 4
R. Crandon lbw Carmichael 117
D. Clements c Foo b Nanan 14
A. Bramble lbw Carmichael 52
E. Crandon lbw Carmichael 3
V. Permaul not out 25
S. Latcha b Ramoo 1
B. Bess b Carmichael 0
Extras: (b-10, lb-4, w-1, nb-2) 17
Total: (all out from 99 overs) 392
Bowling: K. Fraser- 11-0-67-0, K. Carmichael- 15-4-54-4, K. Ramoo- 36-9-92-4, D. Ferrier- 16-0-79-1, R. Nanan- 17-0-68-1, J. Foo- 5-1-18-0
FOW: 1-128, 2-153, 3-160, 4-166, 5-213, 6-359, 7-365, 8-366, 9-387, 10-392
Rest Team Innings
S. Barrington b E. Crandon 0
R. Ramdass b Latcha 26
G. Singh c wkt Bramble b Latcha 14
J. Foo c wkt Bramble b R. Crandon 33
W. Haslim c Latcha b Permaul 52
D. Ferrier c E. Crandon b Permaul 18
D. Hicks c sub La Fleur b Permaul 40
K. Ramoo c Ramdeen b Deonarine 9
K. Carmichael c Fudadin b Permaul 6
R. Nanan c E. Crandon b Permaul 0
K. Fraser not out 0
Extras: (b-2, lb-1, w-1) 4
Total: (all out from 79.3 overs) 2 02
Bowling: E. Crandon- 6-2-17-1, B. Bess- 19-3-35-0, V. Permaul- 29.3-10-65-5, S. Latcha 20-8-43-2, N. Deonarine 10-3-22-1, A. Fudadin- 1-0-2-0, R. Crandon- 4-1-15-1,
FOW: 1-0, 2-43, 3-44, 4-129, 5-129, 6-160, 7-185, 8-197, 9-197, 10-202
