GCB/CGI 3-day Franchise League… Chanderpaul hit undefeated 53 on truncated day at Tuschen

Oct 14, 2017 Sports, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ated-day-at-tuschen/

By Sean Devers

Shiv Chanderpaul, at age 43, continues to prove that age is just a number with an unbeaten 53 at Tuschen on a truncated opening day of the GCB/CGI seventh round three-day franchise League match against West Demerara yesterday.
On a day when just three hours and three minutes of play was possible and 50 overs were lost due to a late start and two stoppages due to rain, the left-handed Chanderpaul faced 130 balls, batted for 167 minutes and reached the boundary five times and cleared it once.
Chanderpaul, on the back of 91 in his first match on return from the English County Championships, added 59 for the fourth wicket with Kevin Boodie, whose 50-ball 29 took 83 minutes and included three fours as Essequibo reached 127-4 on the rain hit day.
With Chanderpaul, when bad light stopped at 17:12 hrs, was USA based Chaitram Persaud on 24 as 21-year-old pacer Jamal Gomes has taken two wickets so far.
After a delay of 90 minutes in sunny conditions due a wet bowler’s run-up, Essequibo elected to bat on a good track and were quickly reduced to 10-2 as Gomes struck twice in the space of a run.
The lively pacer first had Vijai Surujpaul caught behind for five after he had stroked him down the ground for four before 16-year-old Kevin Christian (4) was trapped LBW to leave the score on 10-2.
Kemol Savory drove Mahendra Dhanpaul imperiously past mid-off for four before tucking him off his hips for another boundary while Chanderpaul, who scored three tons and over 800 runs for Lancashire this season, got going with glorious straight drive past Gomes’ ankle.
A shower then stopped play 11:30hrs after seven overs with the score 23-3 and an early Lunch was taken. Play resumed at 12:38hrs with another eight minutes being lost and Dhanpaul struck in overcast conditions when the left-handed Savory was trapped LBW for 11 at 24-3.
Boodie, batting at number five in this game, joined the experienced Chanderpaul, dropped on 30 at silly mid-off and at slip on 40 off off-spinners Richie Looknauth and Malcolm Hobbard, began ‘operation rebuild’ before another shower sent the players scampering off the field at 13:08 hrs with the score on 35-3.
When play resumed in overcast conditions, Boodie smashed Dhanpaul over mid-off for four while Chanderpaul caressed Gomes back past his ankles and punched him imperiously for consecutive boundaries.
Boodie pulled a long hop from left-arm spinner Keshram Seyhodan for four and swept Looknauth to the square-leg ropes and by Tea, Essequibo only needing a draw to take Championship honours, were on 79-3.
Boodie was caught and bowled at 83-4 to end the fourth wicket stand but Persaud and Chanderpaul, who reached his fifty from 107 balls, 140 minutes with five fours and a six, took their team to close after Persaud had struck Hobbard for consecutive fours.
Play is scheduled to commence at 09:00hrs today to make up for time lost yesterday and Chanderpaul, the runs machine from Unity, could make West Demerara pay dearly for letting him off twice.