Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 13, 2008 Sports
By Sean Devers
A belligerent half-century from Andre Stoll and incisive fast bowling from Seon Daniels combined with leaky covers to undermine Berbice’s push for an outright win against Demerara on the opening day of their final round CLICO two-day under-17 Inter-County cricket match at Wales yesterday.
Off-spinner Jomal Lafleur operated for 24.4 overs with excellent control on a slow spinner-friendly pitch in hot conditions to capture 4-29 while fellow spinner Yougeshwar Deonarine supported with 2-25 as Demerara, aided by Stoll’s robust 48-ball 50, fell for 176 in 63.4 overs after they were asked to bat on a very heavy outfield.
With Stoll unable to open the bowling due to fatigue, Daniels, in an impressive five-over spell, rocked the Berbice top order with 4-13 to leave the defending champions tottering on 26-4 when rain halted the game six minutes before the scheduled Tea break.
Needing an outright win to retain their title, Berbice (like they were when they settled for a draw against Essequibo last week in Berbice) were again frustrated by seepage onto the pitch resulting in the entire final session being washed out although the sun had returned in all its brilliance.
Demerara were precariously placed on 103-6 with their first innings 65 overs allotment fast running out when the big-hitting left-handed Stoll joined his Skipper Dexter Solomon to dominate the 64-run seventh wicket partnership.
The GYO all-rounder produced a stunning array of pugnacious shots, none more extravagant than a scintillating cover-driven six off Deonarine.
Stoll dumped left-arm spinner Trinson Carmichael (1-60) for two sixes and a four in the 59th over of the innings to post the Demerara 150 after tight Berbice bowling had stifled the middle order. This was after the home team were well placed on 50-2 in 14 overs.
National under-19 pacer Keon Joseph (1-22) had Shameer Fazal caught at slip for a duck in the first over of the day at 6-1 but the solid Quincy Ovid and the stylish Delon Fernandes repaired the early damage with a 40-run second wicket stand before Fernandes, who hit three fours in 22 from 32 balls, carelessly offered a catch to deep mid-wicket as Deonarine made the breakthrough.
La Fleur, now the leading wicket taker in the competition with eight scalps, bowled unchanged from the Northern end and kept the shackles on the batsmen as Demerara struggled to get the ball away.
Dayanand Roopnarine (6) cut at wide ball and was taken at slip off La Fleur at 69-3 while Ovid, whose 33 included two fours and lasted 82 balls and 83 minutes, pulled a short ball from La Fleur to square-leg, as Berbice held the advantage at lunch with Demerara on 93-4 from 43 overs.
Arif Habib (10) was run out at 96-5 attempting an impossible second run to cover in the first over after the interval while Kwame Crosse (6) clipped Carmichael to short mid-wicket to leave Demerara on the ropes at 103-7.
Stoll joined Solomon after the demise of Crosse and while Stoll launched a calculated attack on the Berbice spinners, Solomon, who made 20 from 82 balls with a solitary boundary, played the supporting role in the important partnership to bring the host back into the fray.
Stoll smashed four sixes and two fours as Chattergoon strangely decided not to use Joseph, the quickest teenage pacer in the country, for a second spell, even as Stoll went to work on the spinners with disdain.
By the time Stoll lofted Deonarine to deep mid-wicket at 167-7 and Solomon was caught and bowled by La Fleur three runs later, the recovery job was well completed although Amir Khan (3) was run out and La Fleur bowled Ricardo Devers (0) to end the innings.
On a track with little assistance for the pacers, Daniels bent his back and ran in hard. He should have removed Chattergoon for a duck in his first over had Fazal at slip not grassed the offering before Berbice had scored.
Chattergoon responded with a pulled boundary off Daniels before he was comprehensively bowled by the Malteenoes pacer, who also trapped Clinton Pestano leg before for a duck, as two wickets tumbled with the score on 12.
Daniels, getting prodigious away swing with the new ball, struck another double blow with the score on 21.
He had La Fleur, who never looked settled, neatly caught at square-leg by substitute Medha Dhanpaul for 13 and Jamally Odle, who scored a half-century in his last innings, well taken by Roopnarine at gully before he had scored, to the delight of the small but vocal crowd.
Pint-size Dominique Rikhi and Andre Dennis joined forces as Crosse, using the new ball in tandem with Daniels, maintained the pressure with tidy work from the ‘bottom end’ before a sharp shower forced the umpires to take an early Tea.
When the covers were removed approximately 30 minutes later, almost the entire match pitch and the one adjacent to it was waterlogged as water leaked through the porous covers which offered almost no protection to the pitch.
The pitch was so badly damaged that play was called off for the day just after 16:00hrs leaving Berbice with a lot of catching up to do when the action is scheduled to resume at 09:30hrs today.
A draw today will give Demerara the title but with a 28-man squad to be selected this afternoon for three trial matches on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at DCC to pick the Guyana team for the regional under-17 series in Trinidad in December, the players on both teams will be keen to play cricket today to enhance their chances of selection.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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