Persaud, Aron guide Mc Gill to emphatic wins to kick-start 2022 cricket campaign

The Canal Number One-based Mc Gill Super Stars Sports Club started off their 2022 cricket campaign with emphatic wins over Bush Lot Sport Club and the Canal #2 SC over the weekend.

In their first fixture of 2022, Mc Gill ventured to the Ancient County to do battle against the Bush Lot Sports Club in a 35-over affair. Mc Gill won the toss and elected to bat first. The visiting team were able to pile up 181-8 after their 35 overs expired, thanks to a well-compiled 53 (7×4) from former Guyana Under-19 Captain Travis Persaud. Persaud and his father Sudesh added 72 for the opening stand before the latter fell lbw for 15 off the bowling of Jagdeep Dilchand in the 16th over.

Former Guyana Under-19 player Kheshram Seyhodan then joined forces with Persaud to take the score to 120 before both Seyhodan (25 –4×4) and Persaud fell in the 25th over caught in the deep off the bowling of off-spinner Rajbance Hemraj. Cameos from Diquan Murray (11) and Azar Deen (17*) propelled Mc Gill to 181-8. Rajbance Hemraj was the pick of the bowlers, bagging 5-27 from his seven overs.
The Bush Lot unit was pushed back early when speedster Diquan Murray trapped Asgar Mathabeek (1) lbw in the second over at 4-1. Mc Gill continued to strangle the Bush Lot batsmen with their consistent bowling. Off-spinner Travis Persaud and left-arm spinner Seyhodan were introduced and further dented the Bush Lot batting line-up, spinning webs around the batsmen. Bush Lot manage to find themselves in a spot of bother slipping from 48-1 in the 13th over to 65-5 in the 20th over, thanks to quality spin bowling from Persaud (3-13) and Seyhodan (2-29). Navindra Prashad (42 – 4×6, 1×4) and Kaimat Ally (33 – 4×4) were the only Bush Lot batsmen who offered some resistance.
Speedsters Narendra Persaud (2-21) and Jamal Gomes (2-15) were brought into the attack to pick up the scraps as Bush Lot offered some resistance at the end to finish at 143 all out in 32.1 overs.
In their second fixture of 2022, Mc Gill thumped Canal #2 SC by four wickets at the Canal #2 SC Ground in a 20-over game. The home team won the toss and elected to bat. Canal #2 were pushed back early, thanks to quality spin bowling from off-spinners Abdul Razack and Travis Persaud. Razack uprooted the stumps of Anand Persaud at 1-1 in the first over. Canal #2 further slipped to 3-3 when Persaud had Nityanand Mathura (0) caught at silly point and Chabiraj Ramcharran (1) bowled in the second over.
Canal #2 managed to recover and crawl to 44-3 in 10 overs. Speedster Daniel Basdeo impacted the game as soon as he was introduced into the attack, removing opener Narendra Persaud (24 – 2×4) at 46-4 in the 11th over. Left-arm spinner Seyhodan then bowled Vishwanauth Jadunauth (16 –2×4) in the 12th over to leave Canal #2 at 47-5.
Mc Gill continued to pick up wickets at key intervals, removing the last four batsmen for just six runs, only Tagenauth Jadunauth (37* – 4×6, 1×4) offered some resistance as Canal #2 reached 91 all out in 19.1 overs. Abdul Razack was the pick of the bowlers bagging 3-8 in his four overs. He got support from Travis Persaud 2-17, Seyhodan 2-13 and Sudesh Persaud 2-13.
Mc Gill got off to a flying start thanks to Travis Persaud, who took 13 runs off the first over of their innings, playing some audacious shots off fast bowler Narendra Persaud. Mc Gill lost their first wicket in the second over with the score on 17, losing Peter Persaud (4) lbw to speedster Siddiq Sulaman. Mc Gill then lost Travis Persaud (15 – 2×4, 1×6) in the fourth over caught in the slips at 21-2 off Sulaman.
Mc Gill continued to lose wickets regularly, losing K Seyhodan (9) lbw to off-spinner Vishwanauth Jadunauth, Troy Persaud (0) caught in the covers off the bowling of Jadunauth, and Prahalad Singh (3) caught at slip off the bowling of left-arm spinner Anand Persaud.
Mc Gill managed to reach 41-5 after 10 overs. Veterans Sudesh Persaud (13*) and Balram Aron (33* — 2×4, 1×6) added a valuable unbeaten 35-run partnership that guided their team to victory in the 19th over reaching 97-6 in 19.2 overs.
Siddiq Sulaman and Vishwanauth Jadunauth finished with two wickets apiece.