By Michaelangelo Jacobus
In the second game of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Female Inter-County T20 competition, Demerara steamrolled their Essequibo counterparts to win by 90 runs yesterday at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) Ground.
After being sent in to bat, Demerara amassed 162/4 from their allotted 20 overs, aided by a whopping 20 extras from the visitors while their top four all got runs. They then bowled out the Essequibians for 72 in just 12.2 overs as eventual player of the match Roshana Harper grabbed an incredible 4/6 to put a wrap on the game.
Earlier, openers Mandy Mangru and Naomi Barkoye gave Demerara a solid start with a foundation of 47; Mangru took charge of the partnership with 33 from 27 balls while Barkoye was content to sit back. However, Mangru’s knock came to an unceremonious end when she was bowled by Lauren Williams in the sixth over.
However, that did not stem the scoring as Barkoye combined with Tilleya Madramootoo to take their side to 107 in the 13th over before the latter had her stumps disturbed by Williams for 24. Demerara skipper and West Indies player Cherry-Ann Fraser entered the fray and made a belligerent 35 from just 22 deliveries which encompassed four boundaries and two maximums. Barkoye fell for a run-a-ball 36 during the course of Fraser’s onslaught but that did not slow down the Demerara innings. Fraser was dismissed by the penultimate ball of the innings, bowled by Williams and Demerara ended on 162/4. Williams had figures of 3/32 from her four overs while Yonette Welcome had the other wicket.
In reply, Essequibo were in trouble from the start of their innings, Williams who had done well with the ball, could not repeat the trick with the bat, failing to score off the first four deliveries of the opening over, and was bowled by the fifth delivery by Fraser to leave Essequibo in an early fix at 0/1.
From there, things went further downhill for the Cinderella County as opener Lavina Ragoobeer made her exit for 2, caught behind off the bowling of spinner Litesha Jordan.
From 10/2, Essequibo slipped to 10/3 three deliveries later as their skipper Navika Narine pushed the ball straight to point and set off for a run that was never there, running out Varuni Pitamber (5) in the process.
Narine, who made no notable contribution with bat or ball throughout the 50-overs and T20 competitions, then proceeded to waste 8 deliveries before lobbing a simple return catch to Harper to leave her side at 17/4.
It then became 17/5 as Harper clean bowled Latoya Williams.
Cyanna Retemiah was the next to go, another run-out before Harper returned for a second over, bowling Divine Ross and Qzel Sampson to take her tally to 4. At 25/8, it looked over for Essequibo but Nikesha Narine had other ideas, playing a fighting cameo of 31 from 24 deliveries which included three fours and a six.
In the end, Narine was the last wicket to fall, caught by Nyia Latchman off the bowling of Kaycia Schultz as the Essequibians were all out for 72, well short of Demerara’s total.
For her efforts with the ball, Harper was adjudged player of the match. Today’s clash between Demerara and Berbice at the same venue will decide the winners of the T20 competition.
