The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Berbice Inter-County cricket team was yesterday was spared the embarrasment of two consecutive losses before holding their nerve to thwart a valiant effort from Essequibo at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground on the second day of the Guyana Cricket Board competition.
The Berbicians had been beaten by the President’s IX on Saturday in their opening game and yesterday slumped to 79-6 chasing the 173-7 made by Essequibo before a cavalier innings from Clinton Pestano swung the game Berbice’s way and they ended on 176-8.
The match was reduced to 30 overs a side after the removal of the covers showed that water had seeped onto the pitch.
Sent in after Berbice won the toss, Essequibo were off to a brisk start with Norman and Royan Fredericks putting on 34 for the first wicket before Norman was out for 25 from 30 balls with four boundaries.
Dillon Heyliger and Royan Fredericks added a further 36 runs before Heyliger was bowled by Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai for 21 from 31 balls with one four and one six.
Royan Fredericks was next to go lbw to Eon Hooper for 30 with just two fours.
With the first three batsmen perishing when well set it was left to Ricardo Adams to propel Essequibo to a challenging total and he did just that smashing 63 from just 35 balls with four fours and five sixes.
Bowling for GT&T Berbice Hooper took 2 for 29, Clinton Pestano 2 for 38, Motie-Kanhai 1 for 16 and Keon Joseph 1 for 35.
In reply, Berbice opening batsman Sewnarine Chattergoon hit a four and a six in the first over bowled by Heyliger but was bowled off the final delivery for 10 while fellow opener Richard Ramdeen was run out for seven with the score on 22.
Things did not get better for the Berbicians as eight runs later West Indies batsman Assad Fudadin was dismissed by Jason Heyliger for five and
Gajandand Singh’s dismissal lbw to Anthony Adams made it 30-4.
It became 38-5 when Delbert Hicks was dismissed by Herry Greene but following Hick’s dismissal, Pestano counter attacked, hitting sixes of
Greene and Ricardo Adams.
He, however, lost Zamal Khan with the score on 79 as the batsman was run out for 14 by smart work from Anthony Adams at short mid wicket, with Khan being stranded halfway down the track.
Despite all that Pestano went along his way merrily. He brought up his half century and the Berbice 100 with three successfive boundaries off Royan Fredericks; his 50 coming in just 44 balls and his presence at the crease presented a stark contrast to that of his teammates who struggled to get the ball away.
Pestano was dismissed with the score on 145 trying to steal a single off Anthony Adams to be run out for 82 off just 58 deliveries with seven sixes and three fours.
When he left the required equation was down to 29 runs from 24 balls.
There was to be one more twist to the innings as Ricardo Adams crucially hit the stumps from backward square to run out Hooper for 17 from 18 balls with the score on 159.
That, however, was to be the Essequibo team’s last success as Krisendat Ramoo and Motie-Kanhai then held their nerve to guide Berbice over the finish line off the third ball of the final over; the two featuring in an unbroken 17-run partnership for the ninth wicket.
Bowling for Essequibo, Dillon and Jason Heyliger, Herry Greene and Anthony Adams all took one wicket in addition to the four run outs in the Berbician innings.
The competition continues tomorrow with Berbice facing the unbeaten Demerara team at the Everest Cricket Club ground while Essequibo will have another shot at gaining victory when they play the President’s XI at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground in Queenstown.
