Defending champions, Berbice stormed into the final of the Hand-In-Hand Inter-County 50-overs tournament after defeating the Select Under-17 by 56 runs yesterday at Everest Cricket Club ground.
Sent in, half centuries from Berbice openers, Alex Algoo and Junior Sinclair, propelled them to 250-9 from their allotted overs.
Essequibo gave a good account of themselves as they fended off arguably the best bowling attack in the tournament to finish on 194-8 from their quota in reply.
The bowlers from the Select Under-17 allowed Algoo and Sinclair to put on 139 with both batsmen picking boundaries at will.
Algoo top scored with 73. The Young Warriors’ left-handed batsman blistered five fours and four sixes, two of which were successfully pulled into mid-wicket from off-spinner, Ajay Gainda.
However, Algoo held out to Marvan Prashad at mid-wicket off of Sarwan Chaitnarine.
Chaitnarine, who was named the player of the match was the stand out bowler, accounting for Sinclair, who was dropped twice but still stroked a 91-ball 70 consisting of four fours and three sixes before being dismissed leg before wicket.
The Berbice middle order batting chipped in with important cameos with Garfield Benjamin shepherding them through the back end of the innings.
Benjamin (32), joined Deonauth Persaud (24) at the crease and shared in a 37-run fourth wicket partnership. When Persaud fell to left-arm spinner, Chanderpaul Ramraj, Seon Glasgow came to the crease and the pair forged a union worth 34 runs before Chaitnarine accounted for both batsmen to finish with 5-36. Ramraj ended with 3-45. Meanwhile, in the chase, Gainda departed for just five as Matthew Nandu and Mavindra Dindyal consolidated with a 49-run stand with some aggressive strokeplay.
Nandu was excellent on the leg side, playing on the backfoot as he stroked an impressive 43, laced with eight boundaries, three of which were smashed off of Chistopher Harry in one over.
Nandu looked elegant but was bowled after getting a bottom edge that trickled onto the stumps while Dindyal fell soon after, holding out to mid-wicket for a patient 33 with five boundaries.
Left-arm spinner, Kelvin Umroa got into operation for another five wicket haul, having finished the three-day format with four such feats.
Umroa wrapped up Zeynul Ramsammy and Marvan Prashad without scoring as well as Niran Bissu (10) and Andre Seepersaud who tried valiantly for his 39.
Persaud resisted with Chaitnarine as they shared an 84-run stand for the seventh wicket as Chaitnarine finished unbeaten on 50, decorated with six boundaries.
Berbice will hunt the double and repeat last year’s feat when they reach Demerara in the final tomorrow at Georgetown Cricket Club from 09:30hrs.
