Bramble and Ivan lead Upper Corentyne to 267-6 at stumps

Sep 23, 2017 Sports, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...-to-267-6-at-stumps/

At Port Mourant all their batsmen got start but Kandasammy Surujnarine and Anthony Bramble carried on the score fifties, while Bramble and Rajiv Ivan shared in a 108-run stand as Upper Corentyne reached 267-6 on the opening day of their GCB/CGI three-day Franchise League fourth round game against West Demerara yesterday at the Port Mourant ground in Corentyne.
An attractive 63 from 153 balls with five fours from Surujnarine, 62 from 110 balls with five boundaries from Bramble, 47 from Rajiv Ivan, 32 from Balchand Baldeo and 22 from David Latchaya ensued the home team batted all day in sweltering heat on a good batting track and rough outfield.
Left-arm spinner Kesram Seyhodan has so far picked up two wickets.
Upper Corentyne elected to bat and Baldeo, who was tested by a barrage of short balls from National pacer 20-year-old Romario Shepherd and Surujnarine gave their team a firm foundation with a 74-run first wicket stand.
Baldeo bobbed and weaved like a boxer when Shepherd bowled short and when he bowled full and wide he was steered to wide third man for back-to-back boundaries.
The partnership flourished as Surujnarine cover drove medium pacer Mahendra Dhanpaul for four before sweetly on-driving Shepherd for four and pulled left-arm pacer Bajan Raymond Reifer to the mid-wicket boundary.
Baldeo was now in full flow and square drove Seyhodan for a delightful boundary behind point and followed it up with spanking drive past mid-off for consecutive fours.
Surujnarine square drove Reifer for four before stroking him magnificently to the cover boundary to bring up his 50 from 137 minutes off 108 balls with five fours.
Baldeo, when well set for a big score, hit a catch to mid-on as Seyhodan struck just before Lunch.
Kevin Sinclair then pulled an above the waist full toss when Skipper Akshaya Persaud looked to buy a wicket and at Lunch the score was 104-1.
After the interval, Surujnarine was caught behind off Richie Looknauth at 114-2 before Sinclair was bowled by Shepherd six runs later but Latchaya and Bramble carried the score to 155 before Latchaya was run out.
Bramble and Ivan added 103 before he was removed at 259-5 before Ivan and Joshua Ramsammy (2) were sent back in the space of six runs just before the close.