GCB senior female inter-county tournament: Emphatic wins for Demerara and Berbice in round one
By Brandon Corlette at Albion
Blessed with glorious sunshine in Berbice, the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB’s) senior female 20-over inter-county tournament bowled off at the Albion Community Centre Cricket Club.
Ashmini Munisar appealing during her top spell
In the opening round, both Demerara and Berbice registered commanding wins.
For Demerara, the top performers were West Indies players Cherry-Ann Fraser, who scored 46, and Kaysia Schultz, who claimed 3-11; and hattrick star Latisha Jordan, who had 4-7 in four overs with her off-spin.
Demerara won by 89 runs against the Select XI, while Berbice won by nine wickets against Essequibo, after a collective bowling effort and Shabika Gajnabi’s finishing touch.
Cherry-Ann Fraser played a good innings for Demerara
In the first match, Demerara posted 139-5 in 20 overs, with 35 coming by means of extras, while the Select XI were bowled out for 50 in 19.1 overs. Skipper Fraser, who played some big shots on a large and slow outfield, was run out for 46 from 40 balls after an innings that included six fours. She was supported by her West Indies team-mate Mandy Mangru, who made 21 from 31 balls, and opener Latoya Smith, who made 20.
Shabika Gajnabi looked dangerous in her short unbeaten stay
Bowling for the Select XI team, Rose Hall Canje off-spinner Naveena Ramnauth had 2-26 in four overs, while Kimberly Sookdeo and Renata Liverpool had one wicket each.
In response, the Select XI’s batting order looked out of sorts, while the Demerara bowling unit looked supreme. Impressive left-arm spinner Kaysia Schultz began the damage from the northern end, and she ended her top spell with 3-11 in four overs.
Jordan continued the demolition job from the commentary box end, and she claimed a hattrick. The off-spinner, who bowled wicket-to-wicket on the slow surface, took advantage of the ordinary batting.
Sheneta Grimmond is clean bowled by D’Aguiar (Brandon Corlette photos)
Realeena Grimmond, the only batter to reach double figures, top-scored with 14, while extras contributed 20.
Meanwhile, in the second match, Berbice routed Essequibo for 30 all out in 13.5 overs. Extras contributed 21 runs to the total, as no Essequibo batter reached double figures. Off-spinner Ashmini Munisar claimed 2-1 in 1.5 overs, while Plaffiana Millington took 2-4 in two overs. Left-arm spinner Dian Prahalad had 2-8 in her four overs and veteran seamer Tremayne Smartt had 1-1 in three overs, including two maidens.
Hat-trick star Latisha Jordan
In response, Berbice lost West Indies player Sheneta Grimmond for two, when she was bowled by a flat delivery. Skipper Gajnabi and Sherica Campbelle ensured no further hiccups, as Berbice cruised to 32-1 in 4.3 overs. Gajnabi made an unbeaten 14 while Campbelle made six. Analesia D’Aguiar had 1-15 in her two overs. Essequibo gifted 10 extras to the Berbice total.
The tournament will continue today, Saturday May 14, with the Select XI taking on Essequibo, and Berbice battling Demerara. Both matches will be played at Everest from 9:30am. This tournament will be followed by the 50-overs tournament, and performances will be used to select the Guyana team for the regional women’s tournament in June. That tournament is expected to be played in Guyana.
