West Indies Under – 19 selectee Raymond Perez stroked a majestic century and shared in a 155-run, fourth-wicket partnership with Christopher Barnwell as Georgetown rocketed to first innings honours over West Demerara at the Tuschen Sports Club Ground, yesterday.
The day also belonged to Ramaal Lewis and Steven Sankar who featured in the second day runs fest and who put on a century stand to underscore Georgetown’s dominance.
West Demerara were 43- 2 at the close, trailing Georgetown by 20.
Georgetown, resuming on one without loss, started the day steadily and reached 30 – 1, six overs into the second day’s play after the demise of Robin Bacchus (13) who before falling LBW to Mahendra Dhanpaul, looked set for a big score.
Raymond Perez and Skipper Leon Johnson then consolidated the innings with Perez especially playing a few lovely shots to mark a return to form after a string of recent low scores.
The duo carried the score past the 50-run mark with Johnson hooking Dhanpaul over mid-wicket to reach the milestone.
Johnson, however, was soon dismissed, unlucky it appeared LBW to off-spinner Richie Looknaught with the score on 58.
A flurry of boundaries then followed as number four batsman Christopher Barnwell got off the mark with boundaries on either side of the wicket to get his innings going while also lifting a delivery from Looknaught out of the ground for a maximum to free his arms.
Perez also shifted gear and used his feet to good effect, dancing into deliveries from Keshram Seyhodan and dispatching him for two sixes and the same number of boundaries to reach his fifty an hour-and-a-half into the day’s play.
The DCC pair continued to find the fence with regular and relative ease to carry Georgetown past the 100-run mark.
Barnwell brought up his fifty by smashing Romario Shepherd for a maximum and a four before taking their side to 183 for 2 at the break in a partnership of 125 at that point.
Perez, who played sublimely, played the shot of the day – a six over extra cover – ended the session needing 11 more runs for his century while Barnwell sat on 65 at the luncheon break.
Barnwell, after the beak, continued where he left off by easing deliveries from Shepherd over long off for two sixes in what appeared to be a certain century for him.
He, however, fell LBW to Looknaught, handing the off-spinner his second wicket of the day for an enterprising 86. His innings included six sixes and seven fours and he fell with the score on 213 after adding 155 with Perez who soon after reached his century with a nudge into the leg side.
Sehyodan then struck twice in quick succession to remove Nkosi Barker (6) and Dexter Solomon (1) to leave the score on 230 – 5 with Georgetown in danger of surrendering first innings honours after a solid platform after Paul Wintz also fell to Looknaught.
All the while, Perez continued to use his feet, spanking the spinners beyond the fence before he too fell to Seyhodan for a majestic 137 which lasted nearly five hours and included 10 fours and six sixes.
He fell with the score on 276 – 7 with Demerara still 57 run away from West Demerara’s first innings total.
They went to tea in a much better position on 311 – 7 with lower order batsmen Steven Sankar and Ramaal Lewis striking a few blows in the process.
The duo continued to muscle the ball after the break and added 114 in 15.1 overs as Lewis marked his fifty to push Georgetown past West Demerara’s first innings total before Sankar fell for a brisk 48 with the score 10 shy of the four hundred mark.
They were eventually dismissed for 396 earning a lead of 63 runs with Lewis ending unbeaten on 68.
Travis Persaud took 3 – 12 while Looknaught (3-69) and Seyhodan (3-104) were also among the wickets.
