The final day of the two matches on display, Carib Beer/Friends of Cricket Heroes Cup, two-day, first-division club cricket competition, ended in draws at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) Ground and Police Sports Club, Eve Leary, on Sunday.
In the Malteenoes versus Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) clash at DCC; Malteenoes who resumed the second day on 226/7 in reply to GCC first innings total of 218, eventually declared on 258/9. Dion Ferrier who was unbeaten on 86 overnight, went on to complete his century finishing on 105.
Left arm orthodox spinner Raj Nanan who did not bowl for the remainder of that innings on day two, finished with the best figures for GCC with 5 for 39.
GCC in their second innings facing a 40 run deficit reached 244/8 before captain Robin Bacchus made the declaration. Opener Waslim Haslim who top scored in GCC’s first innings with 118, did so again – this time with a top score of 75 – in an innings which included twelve (12) fours and two (2) sixes. The batting support from his colleagues came from Jeetendra Sookdeo (38), Ricardo Judanauth (32) and Treon Forde (25 not out).
Medium-pacer Kellon Carmichael (3-53), Danny Narayan (2-11) and Guyana Under-15 leg-spinner Steven Sankar who had match figures of 11/96 against Muslin Youth Organization (MYO) last weekend, claimed 2 for 46.
Batting a second time, with a minimum of seven (7) overs or 30 minutes to bat, Malteenoes found themselves in a spot of bother slipping to 10 for 4 in just the second over. But Captain Orin Forde (10 not out) batted calmly to see his team to a draw, with the total on 24/4 after nine (9) overs. Nanan and Haslim were the wicket-takers at the end for GCC with two (2) wickets each, for 12 and 8 runs respectively.
At the Eve Leary Ground, in the other first-division match between Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Police Sports Club (PSC), another draw was the order of the day.
Police, who entered yesterday’s final day’s play on 143/8, some 55 runs behind GDF’s first innings total of 198, finished with them racking up 220 all out, en route to clinching a valuable first innings lead of 22. Vishaul Jaigobin was the principal scorer with 56, while Amir Khan (not the Guyana Under-19 player), Randy Lindore and Shemroy Barrington were the main wickets takers for GDF with figures of (3-48), (3-51) and (3-73).
In GDF’s second innings batting effort they were dismissed for a paltry 125, with Barrington playing a lone hand of 63 (2×4, 5×6). Leg-spinner Pernell London who claimed four (4) wickets in the first innings, finished with 3-7 and Jaigobin snatched 3-28.
When the match was called off, Police were 27 for 2, with Troy Benn not out on 16. Kevon Boodie a wicket-keeper by trade took the two wickets to fall for the Eve Leary based side.
Moving on to the three (3) Noble-House Seafoods second division matches, Transport Sports Club and Guyana National Insurance Corporation (GNIC) clinched outright victories of varying difficulties.
At the GNIC ground, GNIC defeated Ace Warriors by seven-wickets.
On a day which commenced with the host team having a slender first innings lead of 13, after both teams first innings were concluded on day one for scores of 191 and 204
Ace Warriors in their second hit declared on 227/9 with the left-handed Anatoli Gafoor top scoring with 102. His innings was decorated with seventeen boundaries. Off-spinner Prenchand Sookdeo claimed 3-47.
Needing 215 to win, GNIC finished on 219/3, and this chase was built on the back of a 183-run opening partnership between Elton Barker 90 (9×4, 2×6) and Jermaine Grovesnor 84 (8×4). Clint Jones accounted for the three (3) wickets to fall, ending up with 3-28.
Up the road at Gandi Youth Organization (GYO) Ground, Transport also defeated GDF by seven-wickets.
GDF trailing by 140 runs on first innings after being bowled out for 108 were dismissed for 159 in their second innings. Julio Jones (37), Roderrick Lovell (21) and Colin McPherson (22) were themain scorers, while Azim Azeez (2-33), Travis Marcellino (2-56) and Shawn Messiah (2-7) claimed the wickets.
Needing 20 to win, Transport reached 23 for 3.
Finally at the University of Guyana Ground, Everest who were on 36/3 overnight eventually declared on 121/9 a lead of 182 runs. Denesh Mangal top scored with 36, while Reon Gannet, Latchman Persaud and Kelvin Leitch secured two (2) wickets for 9, 11 and 39 runs each.
Police Sports Club, who only scored 56 in their first innings, reached 117/7 when the game was called off. Fitzroy Culley top scored with 28 and Wazim Ali and Shane Rakeram had the best bowling analysis with 2-30 and 2-14 respectively.
