The women from the Ancient County, Berbice, replicated their performance from the second round, defeating arch-rivals Demerara by eight wickets to lift their sixth Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-County 50-over title.
It was Erva Giddings’ brilliance that restricted Demerara to a below-par total as the left-arm seamer grabbed a five-wicket haul. In the other fixture played at Everest, Select Under-19 defeated Essequibo by 329 runs on the back of Shabika Ganjanbi’s 160, Cherry An Fraser’s 93 and Mandy Mangru’s 7-18.
Demerara v Berbice
It was sheer dominance at the Georgetown Cricket Club, Bourda when the powerhouse Berbice team defeated their arch-rivals. Berbice rode on the back of stellar performances from Giddings, who took 5-13, and Sheneta Grimmond with an unbeaten 36.
The home team, Demerara, led by second-round centurion Akaze Thompson took first strike under scintillating sunshine in the capital city. The Demerara team were bowled out for 68 in 25.1 overs, with Thompson playing a lone hand with 19. Opening batters in Lashana Toussaint and Keisha Fraser went out to bat against the fiery Berbice bowling attack that also features Subrina Munroe and Tremyane
Mandy Mangru snared 7-18 and Cherry An Fraser smashed 93
Smartt.
Fraser was out for five when she was caught and bowled by Giddings after she faced 19 balls in her struggling innings. Giddings, who is known for swinging the ball with her left-arm medium fast bowling, remained on point and trapped Temica Wilson leg before for a golden duck – the very next ball.
Toussaint was then out, bowled for 16 by Giddings, but Thompson stood firm as she watched wickets tumbled around her. Keisha Schultz and Abigael Scott fell without scoring to Giddings and Smartt respectively.
The right-handed Thompson was removed for 19 from 34 balls after batting for 46 minutes and hitting one boundary. Heema Singh scored 12 as she was the third batter for Demerara to reach double figures. Giddings ended with magical figures of 5-13 from six overs, including one maiden. Off-spinner Grimmond had 2-4 from 2.1 overs while Plaffiana Millington, Sherica Campbelle and Smartt had one wicket each in a complete bowling performance.
In reply, Berbice were on the move despite losing Mariam Samaroo for six and Melanie Henry for nine, it was game over when Grimmond led the charge with a belligerent 36 from 31 balls batting 37 minutes, hitting two fours and the shot that caused Bourda to erupt was her lone six. Campbelle ended on seven from 14 balls as Berbice completed an emphatic eight-wicket win. Thompson and Singh were the wicket-takers for Demerara in a losing effort.
Select Under-19 v Essequibo
In the match at Everest, the Windies selectee and the GCB Select Under-19 Captain Gajnabi’s magnificent 160 and Cherry An Fraser’s 93 led the team to 384-4. Mandy Mangru returned with the ball and grabbed 7-18 in a complete performance. Earlier, Select Under-19 openers Casey Charles (09) and Mangru (06) went cheaply, but then it was all Gajnabi and Fraser tearing apart the jaded Essequibians.
Gajnabi, a Berbice-born player who hails from Chesney, smoked 20 boundaries in
The Select Under-19 team thumped Essequibo! (Brandon Corlette photo)
her impressive 160. She was out, caught off the bowling of Vanita Balkishun, ending her once-in-a-lifetime record-breaking knock. The tall Fraser, a brisk right-arm fast bowler, teed off in her innings, hitting 10 fours and one six. She was out bowled by Balkishun for 93, missing out on a well-deserved century.
Lafona Gilgeous scored 18 while the aggressive Africa Gentle smashed an unbeaten 39 to see the Select Under-19 to a formidable 384 runs for four wickets.
In reply, Essequibo were bowled out for 55 in 18 overs, with only Captain Lisa Charles putting up any resistance, to score 15.
It was the off-spinners’ day. Mangru, who spun webs around the Essequibo batters, captured 7-18 in eight spectacular overs. Niveena Ramnauth ended with 3-14 as the two off-spinners shared all 10 wickets. The Select Under-19 dominated the match for a comprehensive 329-run victory.
