Persaud guides Demerara to GCB/RSI inter-county 50-over title

Apr 26, 2015 Sports

By Zaheer Mohamed
Akshaya Persaud stroked a fluent 90 off 116 balls to guide defending champions Demerara to a five-wicket victory over the select U17 team in the final of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Raj Singh Insurance

Members of the victorious Demerara team display their accolades with members of the GCB and sponsor.

Brokers ( RSI) inter-county U19 50-over tournament yesterday.
The left handed Persaud slammed five fours and four sixes and sheared in a 150- run third wicket stand with Tevin Imlach as Demerara successfully chased 223, ending in 224-5 in 47.4 overs in hazy conditions at Everest Cricket Club. The pair came together after their team lost Vivian Albert (01) and Ronaldo Renee (02) and carefully steadied the chase.
Imlach slammed six well timed fours, but lost concentration after reaching his half century and was dismissed by Sagar Hatheramani for 69, while man of the match Persaud was removed by Kevin Sinclair shortly after. Demerara then lost Malcolm Hubbard run out for seven before Sherfene Rutherford and Travis Persaud saw their team home without further hiccups; Rutherford who finished the game with a six off Sinclair, struck three fours and a similar number of sixes to end unbeaten on 43, while skipper Persaud was left not out on four. Ronaldo Mohamed, Richie Looknauth, Sagar Hatheramani and Kevin Sinclair took one scalp each.
Earlier, Raymond Perez and Joshua Persaud added 36 for the opening stand after the U17 team decided to bat on a good pitch, before pacer Carlton Jacques sent back Persaud for 18.
Perez (23) timed the ball well before he was caught at the wicket by Imlach for 23 off left arm pacer Daniel Basdeo.
The U17s then lost Adrian Sukwah (00) and Timothy Mc Almont (02) before Bhaskar Yadram and Sinclair featured in a fifth wicket partnership of 43. Yadram went for 27, while Sinclair departed for 35. The second block of power play only yielded 13 with Ronaldo Mohamed and Ramnarine Chatura at the crease. After the loss of Chatura (15) and Ashmead Nedd (00), Mohamed took the bowlers to task, smashing an unbeaten 69 off 32 balls. He shared in a ninth-wicket stand of 74 with Richie Looknauth (06*).
The right handed Mohamed hit eight fours and two maximums to guide his team to a challenging total, despite losing nine wickets. Mohamed took 18 off the 46th over bowled by Travis Persaud to commence his assault- the last five produced 63 runs. Basdeo claimed 3-18 and Persaud 2-47.