Demerara retain El Dorado 50 overs title
… defeat Berbice by 45 runs in final
By Vemen Walter
Guyana Chronicle
November 20, 2006
DEFENDING champions Demerara produced a clinical display to trounce Berbice by 45 runs in the final of the 2006 El Dorado 50 overs Senior Inter-county cricket tournament, played yesterday, at the Albion Community Centre ground.
Led by magnificent half-centuries from Dion Ferrier, Orin Forde and Azeemul Haniff, Demerara rattled up a challenging 263 for eight in their compliment of 50 overs, of which Berbice could have responded with only 218 all out in 43.4 overs.
Man-of-the-match Ferrier, cracked a brilliant 93, a knock that contained eight fours and two massive sixes off 100 deliveries, Forde a quick-fire 57 off just 33 balls while Haniff made a workmanlike 54.
Ferrier (2-41) and Forde (3-27) then returned with their off-spin, coupled with fast bowler Reon King (2-23), to send Berbice packing, after Royston Crandon and Homchand Pooran had threatened to take Berbice home.
Crandon, opening the batting for the first time in the tournament this year, clobbered eight fours and one six in a well-constructed 75 from 85 deliveries, sharing in an important fourth-wicket partnership of 64 in 16 overs with Pooran whose contribution was 40.
The pair teamed up with Berbice 96 for three in the 17th over, with debutant opener Richard Ramdeen 0, Assad Fudadin 22 and Gajanand Singh 15, all back into the pavilion.
King found the edge of Ramdeen’s bat in the third over as the right-hander fished at one outside the off-stump on its way to wicketkeeper Darwin Christian. Fudadin was caught by King at mid-on, off fast bowler Griffith while Singh fail to negotiate an arm-ball from Ferrier and had his furniture scattered.
Crandon and Pooran rotated the strike admirably to put the home team on course for the jackpot but once they were separated within 18 runs of each other, Demerara fought their way back.
The right-handed Crandon was, maybe, unlucky to have been given out caught behind, off Ferrier in the 33rd over while Pooran, in the 40th over, was needlessly caught at long-off by Ferrier to earn Forde his first victim.
At that stage, Berbice were 178 for five, and with skipper Percival, 11 runs shortly after, it was all up to the hard-hitting Imran Khan to determine Berbice’s fate.
Khan, 21 (three fours), however, did not rise to the occasion, yet again, throwing away his wicket, slogging at Forde with still eight overs at his disposal to get another 55 runs.
None of the other batsmen ever really suggested permanency as Demerara quickly wrapped up proceedings.
Earlier, the trio of Ferrier, Haniff and Forde produced masterclass batting in delighting the fair-sized crowd with some breathtaking stroke play on a sun-drenched day.
With the Berbicians taking the early initiative, reducing Demerara to 73 for three in the 22nd over, and with Christian 10, Leon Johnson 19 and Steven Jacobs 2 already gone, the 26-year-old Ferrier and the left-handed Haniff commenced the rebuilding process positively, reeling off an array of scintillating strokes.
Christian, missed a flick off the probing medium pace of Paul Wintz and was trapped in front of his stumps in the 11th over after posting 27 for the first wicket with Johnson while the talented Steven Jacobs was smartly stumped by wicketkeeper Kwesi Mentore in off-spinner Imran Jaferally’s second over, three overs later with seven runs added to leave Demerara on 34 for two.
Johnson, laborious innings that used 51 deliveries ended when he offered Jaferally a regulation return catch, which the bowler accepted.
Ferrier, who added 39 for the third wicket, with Johnson scoring 35 of those, was in a no-nonsense mood, picking up runs almost at will and was particularly severe on any loose delivery and even those that were not.
The Malteenoes player arrived at his 50 from 61 balls and by that time had spanked four fours and a huge six off off-spinner Jaferally, high over wide mid-wicket.
Haniff in the meanwhile at the other end, was content in playing the supportive roll as the pair gradually gave Demerara, the ascendancy until Ferrier, suffering from a groin injury, which forced him to seek the aid of a runner in the latter part of his innings was caught and bowled by Percival, when seemed set for a maiden hundred at this level.
Mis-stumped on 90, off Jaferally (9-1-37-3) with the total on 166 in the 38th over, Ferrier departed in the 39th over at 172 for four.
That brought in the flamboyant Forde, who immediately made his intention clear by carrying the attack to the Berbice bowlers.
Haniff after accumulating a further 41 for the fifth wicket with Forde that carried their team to 213, was well caught by Wintz on the mid-wicket boundary in the 44th over while trying to up the tempo, but it was not before the former Guyana and West Indies ‘A’ Team opener had brought up a composed 50, off exactly 50 deliveries, spiced with five lovely fours.
Forde, timing the ball to perfection, caressing the leather to all parts of the ground, ably assisted by a lightning fast outfield then saw the demise of teenager Krishna Deosarran 5, caught and bowled by off-spinner Singh (6-0-33-2) and Zaheer Mohamed 1, leg-before, also to Singh in quick succession.
Reaching a well-deserved 50 (two fours and three sixes) from a mere 31 balls, when he hoisted Wintz for a six over long on, simultaneously bringing up the Demerara’s 250 in the 47th over, Forde was caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Wintz, aiming to smack Jaferally out of the ground in the 49th over at 253 for eight. By then, Demerara would have been more than pleased with their effort.
King and Griffith were unbeaten on 5 each when the innings concluded.
DEMERARA innings
D. Christian lbw b Wintz 10
L. Johnson c & b Jaferally 19
S. Jacobs stp. wkp. Mentore b Jaferally 2
D. Ferrier c & b Percival 93
A. Haniff c Wintz b Crandon 54
O. Forde c Wintz b Jaferally 57
K. Deosarran c & b Singh 5
Z. Mohammed lbw b Singh 1
R. Griffith not out 5
R. King not out 5
Extras: (lb-3, nb-1, w-8) 12
Total: (for 8 wkts, 50 overs) 263
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-34, 3-73, 4-172, 5-213, 6-224, 7-241, 8-253.
Bowling: Wintz 10-1-46-1 (w-3), Crandon 10-1-42-1 (w-2), Jaferally 9-1-37-3 (w-1) , Percival 10-0-59-1, Nagamootoo 6-0-43-0 (nb-1), Singh 5-0-33-2 (w-2).
BERBICE innings
R. Crandon c wkp. Christian b Forde 75
R. Ramdeen c wkp. Christian b King 0
A. Fudadin c King b Griffith 22
G. Singh b Ferrier 15
H. Pooran c Ferrier b Forde 40
A. Percival run-out 11
I. Khan b Forde 21
I. Jaferally c Johnson b King 5
M. Nagamootoo not out 5
K. Mentore run-out 1
P. Wintz b Forde 2
Extras: (lb-3, w-18) 21
Total: (for 10 wkts, 43.4 overs) 218
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-68, 3-96, 4-160, 5-178, 6-189, 7-209, 8-212, 9-215.
Bowling: King 6-0-23-2 (w-4), Griffith 6-0-43-1 (w-4), Morris 7-0-36-0 (w-9), Mohammed 10-0-45-0, Ferrier 4.4-0-41-2 (w-1), Forde 4.4-0-27-3.