In sweltering heat yesterday at Eve Leary, a half century from Shoab Shaw and a useful all round performance from Andre Seepersaud, led defending champions Demerara to a crushing 114-run victory against Essequibo in one of two opening games of the second annual GCB’s Dave West Indies Imports 50-over U-15 Inter-County cricket tournament.

The 13-year-old Shaw followed his 74 against the same opposition in last year’s tournament with an entertaining 85-ball 56, decorated with five four and shared in a 57-run third wicket stand with Seepersaud, whose 29 lasted 55 balls and included three boundaries.

Daniel Motoo stroked a correct unbeaten 26 with two fours and added 45 for the ninth wicket with Mark Ramanand, who hit an attacking 19 from 26 balls before he was run out off the last ball of the 50th over as Demerara reached 176-9.

Ronaldo Scouten (2-44), the brother of Essequibo senior player Ricardo Adams, and Manoj Dasrat (2-33), were the most successful bowlers for Essequibo who were demolished for 64 in 26.5 overs.
After Skipper and National U-15 all-rounder Sheldon Charles (8) and Wasim Mohamed (10) were removed, Essequibo slumped from 31-1 as they lost nine wickets for 33 runs on a track with no devil in it despite the odd balls keeping low.

Demerara elected to bat on a lush green but slow outfield and Shaw, who made his National U-15 debut last year, played several delightful shots as he dominated a 40-run opening partnership with 12-year-old Movindra Dindyal, who played the supporting role with a carefully constructed nine from 33 balls before he played around a straight one from Scouten and was trapped lbw in the 13th over.

With the score on 53, Ushivedeva Balgobin top-edged an injudicious sweep off Scouten only for the ball to fall on the off bail as the burly left-hander was bowled for a duck.

Seepersaud and Shaw then embarked on ‘operation rebuild’ with Shaw reaching his second fifty at this level with a back-foot punch for a couple off Davendra Ramdahim. His 50 came from 74 balls and included five fours, while Seepersaud swept Dasrat to backward square-leg boundary before on-driving him sweetly for another boundary in the same over to bring up the 100 in the 25th over.
But Shaw, when well set for a big score, played a ‘check drive’ off Dasrat and was taken at long-off as the stand was finally broken with the score on 110-3. It was soon 116-4 when Chanderpaul Ramraj (1) was beaten in flight and bowled by Dasrat before Seepersaud was run out in the 33rd over with the score on 123-5.

Devendra Hemraj was removed at 125, while Esmond Pearson never suggested permanence and backed away from the pacers before he was bowled for one by National U-15 all-rounder Sheldon Charles, one run later.

And when Trevon Charles was run out for two, Demerara were wobbling on the ropes at 131-8 but Essequibo let them off the hook as Motoo, who disdainfully flicked Adrash Ramdial for four, and Ramanand launched a late order rally.

Charles and Mohamed started positively for the visitors who galloped to 16 in the fourth over before Charles clobbered a short ball from Hemraj and took off for a suicidal single and was run out by a direct hit from Seepersaud at mid-on.

After Mohamed was lbw to Charles at 31-2 it went all downhill as Seepersaud, who was on a hat-trick when he dismissed Scouten and Tyron Brandon off successive balls with the score on 47, but was strangely taken off with three overs remaining, finishing with 3-15.

Aryan Persaud (2-5) and Ramraj (2-7) supported Seepersaud as Essequibo tumbled for the second lowest total on the opening day.

First round losers Essequibo and the President’s XI clash today at Everest, while Berbice play Demerara in today’s feature game at Enmore.

(Taken from Kaieteur News)