Demerara were closing in on an out right win over the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph (GT&T) Berbice when stumps were drawn at Everest in the third and final round match of the Guyana Cricket Board Senior Inter County Tournament at the Everest Cricket Club ground yesterday.
GT&T Berbice ended the day on 185/9, a lead of just 63 runs and, with the bowlers Keon Joseph and Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai at the crease, Demerara will be optimistic of a convincing victory which would earn them the title when play resumes today.
Demerara resumed yesterday on 286 for 7 with Joseph Perry on 31 and Paul Wintz on 02 and were bowled out within the first six overs of the day’s play. They lost the wickets of Perry for 33 (107 balls, 2×4), Khan (00) and Andre Stoll (01), leaving Wintz unbeaten on his overnight score.
Off-spinner Eon Hooper and left-arm orthodox spinner Motie-Kanhai ended with four wickets each for 60 and 68 runs respectively.
Perry was sent back in the fourth over of the day caught low down by wicketkeeper Jason Sinclair off Motie-Kanhai, after adding two runs to his and the team’s score.
He was followed by Amir Khan who failed to trouble the scorers when he was bowled by Hooper in the following over before Motie-Kanhai bowled Stoll with the first delivery of the 131st over to bring the Demerara innings to an end.
Behind by 122 runs, GT&T Berbice benefitted from Richard Ramdeen and Sewnarine Chattergoon’s solid start just before lunch, in which they added 39 for the first wicket from 9.4 overs. The pair however failed to consolidate their stand.
GT&T Berbice lost Ramdeen, who was caught at the wicket by Joseph Perry off Zaheer Mohammed for 13 (2×4), followed by Gajanand Singh who was lbw off the very next delivery, leaving their team on 39 for 2, with Chattergoon, who was joined by his captain Assad Fudadin, on 20. GT&T Berbice went to lunch having erased 57 runs from their deficit off 17 overs with Chattergoon on 30 and Fudadin on eight.
After lunch, Chattergoon brought up his third half century in this year’s tournament in 121 minutes and 95 deliveries.
He struck four fours and one six and celebrated by pulling an Amir Khan delivery over wide midwicket for his second six, pushing GT&T Berbice to 110 for 2 when rain forced an interruption at 13:31hrs.
At that stage Chattergoon was on 69 and Fudadin 21.
When play resumed, Fudadin and Chattergoon added 88 runs for the third wicket, before Fudadin was lbw to Shaquille Williams on the stroke of tea for a boundary less 22. Chattergoon was on 79 and GT&T Berbice 127 for 3, a lead of five runs.
After tea, the Berbicians lost Jason Sinclair, bowled by Mohammed for 05, and Delbert Hicks for 03. Hicks was caught at the wicket by Joseph Perry off Mohammed.
Demerara inched closer to victory, when they removed Chattergoon for 89, with the left-handed batsman being caught by Chandrika at slip off Mohammed.
He faced 214 deliveries, batted for 192 minutes and struck six fours and two sixes. Another shower forced the players off the field at 15:50hrs, with GT&T Berbice already in deep water on 147 for 6, a lead of just 25 runs with four wickets in hand.
Upon resumption GT&T Berbice lost the wickets of Clinton Pestano (02), Zamal Khan (07) and Hooper (13) as Demerara further reduced them to 174 for 9. Keon Joseph joined Motie-Kanhai, and the pair were unbeaten at the close of play with GT&T Berbice on 185 for 9 off 72 overs.
Motie-Kanhai is on 8 and Joseph 6.
Mohammed has so far taken 5 for 35 and Khan 2 for 63 for Demerara, who will win the tournament if they manage to win outright when play continues from 09:00hrs today.
Both GT&T Berbice and Demerara will have one eye on the weather however, as bad weather prevented further play in the match between President’s XI and Essequibo.
