GCA 2nd Division 2-Day
Amid threatening clouds yesterday, the Ace Warriors just held on to see out a draw against Malteenoes at the latter’s ground on Thomas Lands as the Georgetown Cricket Association’s (GCA) Friends of Cricket 2nd Division 2-Day competition continued.
On Saturday, by stumps on day one, the sides were fairly level as the Ace Warriors bowled out the home team for 139 inside 31.3 overs after winning the toss and electing to bowl.
Murtland Ward was the spearhead of the bowling attack for the Ace Warriors, snapping up 6/22 from nine overs. Malteenoes were in dire straits at 71/6 in the 17th over, and were it not for Nichosie Barker’s brisk 73 from 65 balls, things could have been much worse. Barker stroked 10 fours and a six in his knock, while Cordell Mars’ 17 also helped the cause.
In response, the Ace Warriors overhauled Malteenoes first innings total and were leading by 2 runs at stumps on Saturday afternoon. The effort was largely thanks to Nkosi Whytes’ 75 at the top of the innings, which saw him smashing 8 fours and three maximums from 114 deliveries to ensure his side finished day one on 141/9 with a miniscule advantage.
After resuming their innings yesterday, the Ave Warriors would only add one more run to their overnight total and were bowled out for 142 in 39.2 overs.
Nichosie Barker, who had played a gem of an innings for Malteenoes on day one, returned with the ball to capture 4/45 (13 overs) with his off-breaks. He received valuable backup from Christopher Simbo, who returned figures of 3/20 from his six overs.
Batting for a second time, Malteenoes put on a much improved performance, with Shaquille Williams (49 from 47 balls), Trevon France (64 from 48 balls), Melville Royal (32 from 32 balls), and Cordell Mars (22 from 17 balls) all chipped in to see their side to a challenging 228/9 declared in 32.3 overs to set the Ace Warriors 225 for victory. Junior Phillips (3/25) and Emmanuel Martin (3/38) were the pick of the Ace Warriors bowlers.
However, the Ace Warriors found themselves in all sorts of trouble at 122/8 late in the day.
With Malteenoes sensing a victory, it was up to Phillips (0 not out) and Andre Meredith to see their side hold on for a draw by the time stumps were called. Meredith’s marathon 11 from 42 balls proved to be the anchor for the Ace Warriors as they held out for a draw.
Earlier in the innings, Ward (31), Navindra Ramnauth (20), and Roger Aaron (28) had all gotten starts but failed to kick on while the rest of their teammates crumbled around them.
Bowling for Malteenoes, France (2/17) and Simbo (2/21) led the way.
The competition will continue next weekend, with the fixtures to be announced during the upcoming week.
