Imlach (61*), Perez (49*) guide DCC to outright win over GCC in First Division final

Test player Tevin Imlach stroked a classy half-century and Guyana Harpy Eagles top-order batsman Raymond Perez missed one by a run as Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) defeated Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) by seven wickets to be crowned First Division Two-Day champions of Georgetown.

Sponsored by GISE, Star Rentals and Trophy Stall, the tournament ended on Sunday at the DCC ground in Queenstown, with the home side overhauling a target of 136 in just 20.5 overs.

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Player-of-the-Match Imlach, with a hundred in the first innings, guided the chase with a fluent 61 not out off 49 balls (3x4s, 3x6s), while Perez struck three sixes in an unbeaten 49 off 51, the pair adding a match-winning partnership of 114.

Imlach and Perez came together at 23-3 after Jonathan Van Lange (3), Joshua Persaud (6) and Sachin Singh (6) within the first six overs, with left-arm spinner Devon Lord removing openers Van Lange and Persaud, and off-spinner Kevin Sinclair accounting for Singh.

Imlach and Perez initially batted cautiously, seemingly intent on settling for a draw after gaining first innings advantage, which was enough to secure the title.

However, as the game meandered into the final hour, the pair upped the ante, taking to attack to the GCC bowlers to close out the game in fading light.

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The day started with DCC on 198-4, responding to GCC’s first innings total of 262.

Imlach, resuming on 61, scored 107 off 187 balls (10x4s), and fellow overnight batsman Jonathan Van Lange moved from 26 to 65, facing 91 balls and hitting seven fours and a six.

GCC, batting a second time and looking to erase a deficit of 75, made 210 with Yeudistir Persaud hitting 86 off 77, an innings that included five fours and seven sixes, while openers Kevin Sinclair (35) and Navindra Persaud (34) chipped in.

Ashmead Nedd (3-63), Daniel Mootoo (2-38) and Ezekiel Wilson (2-49) combined for seven wickets for DCC, who knocked off the target in fading light to bring the curtains down on a tournament that started in 2023.

OVERALL TOURNAMENT STATS:

• Most Runs: Christopher Barnwell (472)
• Most Wickets: Devon Lord (33)
• Highest Score: Tevin Imlach (213)
• Best Bowling: Ashmead Nedd (8-33)
• Best Fielder: Riyad Latif (seven catches, three run outs)
• Most Disciplined Emerging Player: Jadon Campbell (433 runs)
• Most Valuable Player: Christopher Barnwell (472 runs, 11 wickets, four catches)

Chairman of the Competitions Committee of the Georgetown Cricket Association Shaun Massiah expressed gratitude to the sponsors, players, clubs, groundstaff, umpires and media for making the tournament a success.