Traditional powerhouses Berbice and Demerara will contest Saturday’s final of the Senior Inter-county 50-over competition, having won their third round matches on Thursday.
Victory for Berbice secured a clean slate of victories, while Demerara’s win was their second in three games. Essequibo registered just a solitary victory, while the Select XI lost all three games.
At GCC: Berbice defeated Essequibo by 17 runs (DLS method)
SUMMARY: Berbice 170-9 from 38.1 overs (Kevlon Anderson 57, Gudakesh Motie 32, Shimron Hetmyer 23; Quentin Sampson 4-25, Antony Adams 2-40) vs Essequibo 115 all out from 24.2 overs (Kemol Savory 32; Romario Shepherd 4-11, Shamar Joseph 2-16)
Batting first in a rain-affected game at ‘Bourda’, Berbice made 170-9 from 38.1 overs. The defending champions were in early trouble at 15-3 and then 82-6 with Kevin Sinclair (3), Rampertab Ramnauth (4), Seon Hetmyer (3), Shimron Hetmyer (23), Romario Shepherd (0) and Clinton Pestano (7) all dismissed.
It took a seventh-wicket partnership of 54 between Kevlon Anderson and Gudakesh Motie to give the innings impetus.
Anderson topscored with 57 off 72 (8x4s), while Motie made 32 off 25 (2x4s, 3x6s). Quentin Sampson, who shared the new ball, picked up 4-25 off 9.1 overs, accounting for the key wickets of Hetmyer brothers, Shepherd and Sinclair.
Experienced left-arm spinner Antony Adams took 2-40.
Essequibo, faced with a revised target of 133 from 29 overs, folded for 115 in 24.2 overs with Shepherd doing the damage with 4-11 and Shamar Joseph backing up with 2-16. Kemol Savory topscored with 32.
At Enmore: Demerara defeated the Select XI by seven wickets
SUMMARY: Select XI 204 all out from 39 overs (Christopher Barnwell 77, Junior Sinclair 32, Joshua Persaud 29; Ronaldo Alimohamed 3-44, Chandrapaul Hemraj 2-41) vs Demerara 205-3 from 41.2 overs (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 93*, Mavindra Dindyal 43, Chandrapaul Hemraj 30, Akshaya Persaud 21*; Jonathan Rampersaud 1-28, Aryan Persaud 1-29, Jeremiah Scott 1-32)
Christopher Barnwell struck his second successive fifty to lead the Select XI to 204. The right-hander struck eight fours and three sixes his 77 off 71 to follow up his even-fifty in the last match against Berbice at the same venue.
Skipper Junior Sinclair made 32 and Joshua Persaud 29 as Ronaldo Alimohamed took 3-44 and part-time spinner Chandrapaul Hemraj 2-41.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul then followed up his unbeaten 70 in the last game against the Essequibo with 93 not out as Demerara coasted to victory at 205-3 from 41.2 overs.
The West Indies Test opener faced 126 balls and struck 10 fours in an innings that anchored the run-chase.
Hemraj (30 off 27- 3x4s, 2x6s) dominated an opening stand of 39 with Chanderpaul, before Chanderpaul and West Indies Under-19 batter Mavindra Dindyal put on 83 for the second wickets to bat Essequibo out of the game.
Dindyal made 43 off 58 (4x4s) and skipper Tevin Imlach made five, before Chanderpaul and Akshaya Persaud (21*) closed out the game with an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 68.
Saturday’s final is slated for the GCC ground, Bourda, with action starting at 09:00h.
