By Colin Benjamin
Demerara closed yesterday’s penultimate day of the final round in the 2011 Guyana and Trinidad Mutual (GTM) Under-19 Inter-County three-day competition at Police Sports Club Ground on 12 for 1, needing just 38 more runs to dethrone Cellink Berbice as Inter County three-day champions.
In a dramatic afternoon session Demerara dismissed the Berbicians for 86.
Earlier, Demerara began the day on 58 for 3 with the aim of eclipsing Cellink Berbice’s paltry first innings total of 141 and building a substantial lead of their own.
But Cellink Berbice had other plans and struck thrice in the first hour’s play to leave Demerara precariously placed at 92 for 6.
First to go was opener Christopher Surat who just added three runs to his overnight score and was dismissed by Loyydel Lewis for a painstakingly slow 27 from 150 deliveries.
Lewis claimed the other two wickets to fall in the first session, that of Kamesh Yadram for one and skipper Kwame Crosse for an innings stabilizing 36.
However, wicket-keeper and vice captain Denesh Mangal and Amir Khan, steadied the ship for the Demerara boys, taking the team to 121 for 6 at lunch, just 20 runs of Cellink Berbice’s first innings score.
After lunch, Mangal launched a stunning counter-attack on the Cellink Berbice bowlers, as he put their bowling to sword in exciting fashion.
Firstly, he hit off-spinner Jamal La Fleur for 15 runs in the first over after the interval which included a massive six onto Eve Leary road.
Along with Khan, he took Demerara to a first innings lead in a solid 56-run seventh wicket partnership.
Later Mangal then brought up his half-century with consecutive sixes off left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai.
Demerara, however, folded very quickly after Mangal was dismissed for a match turning 52 from 89 balls an innings which included three fours and five towering sixes.
Khan followed for 16, as both batsmen departed within three overs of each other as Demerara ended on 179 all out in 95.1 overs.
The pick of the Cellink Berbice bowlers was off spinner Lewis bagged 5-35 from 24 overs.
Batting a second time the Cellink Berbice team was bundled out for a miserable 86 in 40.2 overs.
Only number four batsman Jamal La Fleur showed any resistance with a composed innings of 40.
He was dismissed trying a hit Amir Khan for consecutive sixes but only managed to slice an attempted lofted drive to Jahron Byron at point.
Bustling new-ball bowler Kevin Ogle ran through the top-order claiming three of the four early wickets to fall en route to finishing with 4-16 from 7.2.
Khan ripped through the middle-order to claim his second five wicket haul of the match (15-4-32-5) for match figures of 11 for 70.
Demerara needing just 50 to win and dethrone Cellink Berbice as three day champions, closed day two on 12 for 1 after losing Suraj for a duck.
The not out batsmen are Chanderpaul Hemraj and Steven Ramdass on three and two runs respectively.
