A brilliant 2nd wicket partnership of 78 between Harold De Mattos and Gladwin Henry guided Essequibo to victory over the Select XI today at Everest.
Batting first, the Select XI were dismissed for 80 in 31.1 overs with extras being the main contributor (25). Skipper Dave Mohabir and Parmeshwar Ram were the only two batters to reach double figures as they scored 16 apiece. The Select XI lost wickets at regular intervals and struggled to form any substantial partnership. Darwin Joseph was excellent with the ball picking up 3 wickets and was supported by Rajendra Rambali and Natron Gill with 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
In response, Essequibo lost Rambali early for 0 with the score on 5. De Mattos was then joined by Henry and together they dissolved any tension within the Essequibo camp. De Mattos top-scored with 44 while Henry finished on 28. The lone wicket to fall went to Parmeshwar Ram.
Tomorrow will see Demerara face Berbice in their last round encounter at Everest at 09:30h.
Scores:
GCB Select XI 80 All Out from 31.1 overs
Mohabir 16 (23), Ram 16 (62), Extras 25
Rambali 3-9 (3.1), Joseph 3-21 (5), Gill 2-17 (5)
Essequibo U17 83-1 from 24.1 overs
De Mattos 44*(70), Henry 28*(64)
Ram 1-5 (5)