LED by half-centuries from Amir Khan and Manjrekar Bhola, the Everest Cricket Club were able to defeat Police Sports Club by 56 runs in the first semi-final of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) NBS Second-Division 40-over competition on Saturday at the DCC Ground.Although Khan and Bhola played their hand, it was a batting collapse by the Lawmen under lights in the day and night fixture which undermined their chase.Everest won the toss and opted to take first strike. They were in a spot of bother early after losing openers Ronaldo Renee (11) and Dwayne Adams (09), but Khan and Bhola joined forces and added 92 runs for the third wicket, which proved the catalyst for a first innings score of 238 in 39.3 overs.Bhola, batting at three, struck 10 fours and a six in a score of 56, while Khan, who preferred the aerial route, finished with five sixes and four fours.Both batsmen were dismissed by off-spinner Kelvin Leitch, which gave the Lawmen momentum. The pendulum swung in their favour in the latter part of the innings as the last six wickets fell for 44 runs.If former national U-19 all-rounder Richie Looknauth had not batted himself in before playing a few shots, the team could have folded for a lot less. Looknauth scored 45 (4x4s, 2x6s) before he was run out.Leitch, who took a wicket in his first over, finished with 3-40 off eight overs, while opening pacer Raun Johnson finished with 2-39 from eight overs.EXCELLENT STARTAndrew Lyght Jr. then fired Police ahead with a 111-run first wicket partnership with Kevon Boodie. Lyght, who struck nine sixes in a top score of 72, was the aggressor. He demolished Everest’s opening bowlers. In the first over, he belted Looknauth for 13 runs, before he struck Raylex Payne for 34 runs from his first two overs. In Payne’s second over, Lyght blasted three sixes.At the other end, Boodie (10) was a spectator to the hitting, but he rotated the strike. Lyght’s wicket, which was the first of three for skipper Adams, started a chain reaction that resulted in Police’s 10 wickets falling for 71 runs (111-1 to 182 all out).Kemol Savory, who played a few shots in a score of 27 batting at three, and Johnson who scored 20 batting at 11, brought sanity to the innings.Adams finished with 3-13 from six overs, while Khan finished with 2-7 from six overs and Payne, who bounced back with wickets in his second spell, took 2-49 from 4.1 overs.
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