Nandu, Van Lange lead Demerara to opening win in Queensway Security Super50 Inter-County

A responsible fifty from opener and captain Matthew Nandu and a four-wicket haul from West Indies Under-19 all-rounder Jonathan Van Lange spurred defending champions Demerara to a solid 50-run win over Essequibo in Game One of the Queensway Security Service Inc. Senior Super50 Inter-County Cup on Saturday at the Joe Jagmohan Ground in Hampton Court, Essequibo.

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Batting first, Demerara posted 229 all out from 45.2 overs, anchored by a composed 73 from Player-of-the-Match Nandu, who struck seven boundaries in his 102-ball innings.

Support for Nandu came from his Guyana Harpy Eagles teammate Raymond Perez (41 off 50 balls; 3x4s, 1×6) and opener Ushardeva Balgobin (40 off 51 balls; 7x4s), both providing crucial top-order partnerships that guided Demerara beyond the 200-run mark.

Nandu and Balgobin set Demerara on a solid foundation with an opening stand of 67 in 14.4 overs, before Nandu and Perez put on 73 for the second wicket.

At 140-1 in the 29th over, Demerara appeared on course for a far larger total than they eventually posted, but the Essequibians made regular breakthroughs in the second half of the innings to stymie the progress of the visitors.

Essequibo’s bowling effort was led by Thaddeus Lovell, who claimed 4-43 from seven overs, while the experienced pacer Ronsford Beaton took 2-29 from 7.2 overs.

Left-arm spinner Ricardo Adams bowled a tidy spell to finish with 2-39 from his 10 overs, and Keemo Paul added 1-40 from eight overs.

In reply, Essequibo struggled to build partnerships and were dismissed for 179 in 37.3 overs, after being in a position of relative strength at 70-2 in the 12th over.

Paul top-scored with 30 from 32 balls, including two sixes, opener Kevon Boodie raced to 29 off 19 (7x4s), Antony Adams made 25, Lovell 24 and Myheim Khan an unbeaten 22.

Skipper Kemol Savory and Guyana Amazon Warriors batting hero Quentin Sampson, on whom much was expected, fell for 14 and a first-ball duck respectively.

Medium-pacer Van Lange dented the run-chase with three wickets in the 13th over, reducing Essequibo from 71-3 to 72-6, as he removed Kanhaiya Ramkarran for 12, and Sampson and Ricardo Adams, both without scoring.

He finished with 4-35 from eight overs, supported by off-spinner Richie Looknauth with 3-23 from seven overs. Left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd (1-33 from 10 overs) and seamer Ronaldo Ali Mohamed (1-49 from seven overs) also chipped in to complete a disciplined bowling effort.

Upcoming games (all starting at 09:00h)

• October 12- Berbice vs GCB Select XI at Lusignan
• October 14- Demerara vs GCB Select XI at Enmore
• October 16- Berbice vs Essequibo at Lusignan
• October 18- Essequibo vs GCB Select XI at Lusignan
• October 19- Berbice vs Demerara at Number 69 Ground
• October 26- FINAL at Hampton Court or Albion