By Zaheer Mohamed

David Latchaya stroked a fine century, while Balchan Baldeo and Sharaz Ramcharran shared eight wickets between them as Berbice, despite losing first innings points, defeated Demerara by 138 runs when their second round game of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter County U-19 3-Day tournament ended yesterday at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, Bourda.
Resuming on their overnight score of 110-3 with Viendra Gooniah on 35 and Latchaya on 27, the visitors progressed to 269-5 before they declared after facing 90.2 overs after lunch. Gooniah and Latchaya added 36 more to the total before Gooniah, who brought up his fifty off 178 balls, was taken by wicketkeeper Kemol Savory for an even half century which contained two fours. Latchaya was joined by Ashkay Homraj and the pair frustrated their opponents with an enterprising fourth wicket stand of 109 with level headed batting.
Latchaya was quick to capitalize on the bad balls; he drove medium pacer Sherfene Rutherford to the cover boundary before pulling Tagenarine Chanderpaul for another. Homraj gradually grew in confidence and drove Kevin Paul to long on before elegantly caressing Steven Sankar through covers. He then turned Paul off his pads the following over, but was put down off Sankar just after lunch as Berbice went to the break at 202-4 with Latchaya on 69 and Homraj on 36.
The duo adopted a more aggressive approach after the interval and Homraj attained his half century off 61 balls with seven fours. He then celebrated by dumping Basdeo for a maximum before he was bowled by the said bowler for 69 (7x41x6) at 248-5. Latchaya soon brought up his century by flicking Basdeo over the mid wicket fence. Berbice then declared after facing 90.2 overs leaving Latchaya unbeaten on 103 and Arif Chan on 03. Latchaya’s hundred came off 207 balls and contained eleven fours. Basdeo captured 3-51 off 17 overs while Sankar and Paul had one each.
Needing 212 to win in just over a session, Demerara were bowled out for 74 in the day’s final over. Ronaldo Renee (05) was the first to go bowled by Sharaz Ramcharran with the score on 18. Demerara went to tea at 18-2 with their most experienced batsman Chanderpaul (07) caught at first slip off Balchan Baldeo.
Upon resumption, Demerara suffered a collapse, losing the wickets of Brain Sattaur (00) and Rudolph Singh (00) without addition to the total. They slipped into further trouble when Kemol Savory (03) was bowled by Baldeo four runs later. Rutherford then deposited Baldeo over mid wicket before he was dropped at long on; a difficult chance.
Ramcharran kept Berbice in the hunt with the wicket of Malcolm Hubbard (04) at 35-6. Sankar then missed a sweep and was LBW to Baldeo, while Rutherford was LBW to Ramcharran for 25 with three fours and a six as the home team slipped to 50-8. Basdeo opted to play back to leg spinner Gooniah and was leg before with the score at 62-9.
Kevin Paul and Keon Morris tried desperately to given their team a draw, but after adding 12 runs for the last wicket, Paul who faced 45 balls for eight was LBW off the penultimate delivery in the last over bowled by Niall Smith leaving Morris not out on six; he laboured for 80 balls. Ramcharran captured 4-20 off 17 overs, Baldeo finished with 4-30 off 21 overs, while Smith and Gooniah took one each.