Berbice remains unbeaten with Select U-17 victory

Hand-in-Hand One-Day U-19 Inter-County tournament…

By Brandon Corlette

The lads from Berbice moved one step further in their quest to retain their U-19 Inter-County One-Day title. Berbice defeated the Select U-17 Team by 56 runs in their third round clash at the Everest Cricket Club in the One-Day Hand-in-Hand U-19 tournament on Friday last.

Guyana Select U-17 Team won the toss and elected to bowl first. Berbice managed 250-9 in their 50 overs. In reply, Select U-17 Team were restricted to 194-8 when their 50 overs expired.
Berbice achieved their total riding on brilliant batting efforts from their openers Alex Algoo and Junior Sinclair, who scored half-centuries starring in a century-run stand. The Berbician duo displayed their experience at this level by getting the upper hand over the Select U-17 bowlers as they added 139 runs to the tally.

Sinclair was the first to be dismissed, for a well-constructed 70 from 91 balls. His innings included three sixes and four boundaries, after he was adjudged leg before to off-spinner Sarwan Chaitnarine.
An out-of-form Kevlon Anderson came to the crease and went for six, sweeping in the air and finding the fielder at backward square off leg-spinner Niran Bissu. Algoo, who looked set for a century, fell 27 runs short when his innings ended on 73 from 84 balls. He was out caught at deep mid-wicket, but his innings was decorated with four sixes and five fours.
Deonauth Persaud fell with the score at 207-4, with nine overs remaining in the innings. He had made a promising 24, which included two boundaries.
An underrated Garfield Benjamin, who has looked positive throughout the inter-county tournament, continued to stitch his scores together with a fluent 32 from 47 balls, including two fours and one six. His innings concluded when he missed a low delivery and was bowled by Chaitnarine.
The big-hitting Glasgow scored a run-a-ball 21 before he became another Chaitnarine victim, and the Berbice innings closed with a respectable total of 250-9, with Chaitnarine finishing with 5-36 in nine brilliant overs of off-spin bowling. Left-arm spinner Chanderpaul Ramraj had 3-45, while Niran Bissu had one wicket.
In response, the Select U-17 Team had a cautious start, with openers Matthew Nandu and Ajay Gainda adding 36 runs to the tally before Gainda’s painstaking innings ended when he became Chris Harry’s only wicket. He had scored a mere five runs from 29 balls.
Arguably the best pair in the team, Nandu (43) was joined by Mavindra Dindyal, and the dynamic duo added 49 runs to the tally before Dindyal’s innings of 33 ended when he played a poor stroke and was caught at deep square-leg off the bowling of Kelvin Umroa.
The Select U-17 Team had at one stage lost five wickets for 14 runs before being rescued by an 84-run partnership between Andre Seepersaud and Sarwan Chairnarine. Seepersaud looked calm and composed, but was out bowled by Umroa for 39 from 60 balls.
Player of the match, Chaitnarine, ended with an unbeaten 50 which included six elegant boundaries, but his team fell short of victory by 56 runs. The West Indies U-19 selectee Umroa ended his mini-drought in the one-day tournament by snaring 5-31 in 10 overs, including three maidens.
The final match will see Berbice and Demerara clashing for title honours at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground at Bourda on Sunday, May 19, 2019. First ball will be bowled from 9:30h local time.