– Khan, Chanderpaul and Hemraj grind GCC
The Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), batting a second time on day one of the Star Party Rental/Trophy Stall Georgetown Cricket Association(GCA) first-division, two-day competition, ended the day on 19 without loss, trailing Everest Cricket Club (ECC) by 123 runs at the GCC Bourda cricket ground, yesterday.
Earlier, GCC won the toss, elected to bat and declared their innings closed on 129 – 9 on the stroke of lunch after one of their players was a no show.
Opener Martin Pestano-Belle (43) was the only batsman to show any grit as first-class leg spinner Amir Khan snatched 5 – 31 from 10.5 overs while Saheed Mohammed supported with 2 – 30 from eight overs to skittle the home side out cheaply.
Everest then went about their first innings in a business-like manner with Tagenarine Chanderpaul, playing his first match back for ECC after a long layoff due to injury, anchoring the innings while stroking a fluent 76. Along with Mohammed (29), he added 56 for the first wicket on what seemed like a placid batting surface.
The pair was watchful early on after which they dispatched the loose deliveries with ease to set a solid platform to push ECC ahead.
Chanderpaul, who looked a bit scratchy at the beginning of his knock, got going with a scorching pull-shot to the midwicket fence off seamer Robin Bacchus.
His namesake Chandrapaul Hemraj, the other not-out batsman at tea on 52, also executed a number of lovely straight drives and towering sixes as if it were a T20 match to push Everest past GCC’s first-innings total.
The second session ended with the score on 179 – 2 with Chanderpaul compiling an unbeaten 72. Captain Akshaya Persaud (13) was the other batsman dismissed before tea.
Chanderpaul, before the interval, eased seamer Diquan Murray for several boundaries as he brought up his half – century with a lovely, lofted forearm push back past Devon Lord whose bowling he also took a liking to.
GCC struck after the break to remove Chanderpaul for a well put together 76 which included nine fours and a maximum.
Hemraj, on the other hand, continued the carnage by belting the home side’s bowlers to all parts before chancing his arm one too many times and holing out to long-on for a savage 84 aided with nine fours and four brutal sixes.
His demise left the score on 220 – 4, handing Everest a comfortable lead and a likely outright win today.
Five wickets then fell for 51 runs prompting Everest to declare their innings closed on 271 – 9 with Khan returning to stroke an even fifty which held the lower order together.
Stephon Wilson (3-25) and Lord (3-82) combined to salvage some pride for GCC who had to endure eight overs late in the day during which time they managed to see out play without losing any wicket with the score on 19 – 0.
The second day resumes at 9:30.
