Usain Fredericks was the hero for Essequibo who pulled off a stunning victory over Demerara in Round Two of the Guyana Cricket Board’s Inter-County Under-15, 50-over competition at the LBI ground on Wednesday.The result meant a superb all-round performance from Shahid Ramzan, who stroked his maiden half-century and picked up three wickets, was in vain for Demerara.Over at the Lusignan ground, Berbice trio- Arif Bacchus, Richard Ramdeholl and Rafael McKenzie- combined to dismiss the Select XI and earn a close win to remain unbeaten.Fredericks defies Demerara after Ramzan stars with bat and ballSUMMARY: Demerara 187-7 from 50 overs (Shahid Ramzan 51, Lomar Seecharran 31, Makai Dowlin 19, Joshua Bollers 15, Khush Seegobin 13, Brandon Henry 12*; Bomesh Lall 3-44, Timothy Burton 2-27, Makayah Holmes 1-21, Shazim Mohamed 1-28) lost to Essequibo 188-8 from 46.4 overs (Usain Fredericks 41*, Jathneil Nurse 25, Justin Dowlin 24, Ravid Fredericks 17, Eshwar Tilak 12*; Shahid Ramzan 3-27, Joshua Bollers 1-21, Prosper Jacobus 1-24, Brandon Henry 1-24, Patrice Fraser 1-44) by two wicketsChasing 188 for victory, Essequibo slipped to 147-8 with Demerara holding the advantage and scenting victory.However, Fredericks and Eshwar Tilak frustrated the defending champions by exercising patience, great running and dispatching the bad balls.The pair added an unbroken 41 for the ninth wicket to seal an exciting win for the ‘boys in yellow’ after they stumbled against Berbice at the same venue a day earlier.Essequibo players rush on to the field to celebrate victory (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/February 26, 2025)Right-hander Fredericks lead the chase with a fine 41 not out off 45 balls, an innings that included four fours and six. Tilak provided the perfect foil for Fredericks, striking a crucial boundary in his unbeaten 12 off 27 balls.Prior to the match-winning partnership, the Demerara bowlers were controlling proceeding with off-spinner Ramzan picking 3-27 off nine overs, two of which were maidens.Off-spinner Shahid Ramzan picked up three wickets (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/February 26, 2025)Fast bowlers Patrice Fraser and Prosper Jacobus picked up one each, so too spin pair Brandon Henry and Joshua Bollers as Demerara made steady inroad into Essequibo’s batting, only to be denied by a superb knock from Fredericks.Skipper Jathneil Nurse made 25 off 51 (3x4s), opener Justin Dowlin 24 off 36 (4x4s) and Ravid Fredericks 17 off 36 (2x4s). Extras were 47.Demerara had won the toss and opted to bat first, with openers Lomar Seecharran, who made 31 off 60 (6x4s) and Khush Seegobin, who made 13 off 24 (2x4s), adding 39 for the first wicket.Bomesh Lall had a three-wicket haul for Essequibo (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/February 26, 2025)Both were dismissed and number three batter Nathan Bishop followed soon after for seven to make it 66-3, leaving Demerara in a precarious position.Ramzan then led a recovery in partnership with Makai Dowlin and Joshua Bollers to lift Demerara to a decent total.Ramzan and Dowlin, who made 19 off 38 (1×4), added 51 for the fourth wicket, and then Ramzan and Bollers, who scored 15 off 36, put on 45 for the fifth wicket.The left-handed Ramzan, who brought up his first-ever fifty with a crisp drive through cover, was dismissed for 51 in the ‘death’ overs, an innings that spanned 98 balls and included five fours.Shahid Ramzan punches through the covers (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/February 26, 2025)Like Essequibo, Demerara also benefitted from extras, which totaled 39. Leg-spinner Bomesh Lall picked up 3-44 off 10 overs, while Timothy Burton picked up 2-27, Makayah Holmes 1-21 and Shazim Mohamed 1-28.Berbice bowlers to the rescue…again! SUMMARY: Berbice 116 all out from 37.4 overs (Arif Bacchus 20, Tameshwar Deonandan 16, Saiad Jumratty 16, Nathaniel Ramsammy 13; Jasani Craig 4-22, Joshua Thomas 4-37, Brandon Grimmond 2-19) defeated Select XI 97 all out from 41.4 overs (Balraj Narine 44, Junia Dindyal 20, Isiah Anderson 10; Arif Bacchus 4-9, Ricardo Ramdeholl 3-5, Rafael McKenzie 3-27) by 19 runsOver at the Lusignan ground, Berbice bowlers, like they did against Essequibo in the opening round when they successfully defended 132, again rose to the occasion, this time defending 116.From a position of strength at 57-1, the Select XI fell away spectacularly, being bowled out for 97 to lose by 19 runs. Skipper Balraj Narine gave the Select XI a flying start, hitting six fours in an entertaining 44 off 47 balls.Berbice trio! From left: Richard Ramdeholl, Arif Bacchus and Rafael McKenzie (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/February 26, 2025)And though left-hander Junia Dindyal stuck around and scored 20 off 86 balls, the Berbice bowlers were took good in the middle overs.Off-spinner Arif Bacchus led the bowling effort with miserly figures of 4-9 off 10 overs, three of which were maidens, while off-spinner Ramdeholl delivered another top spell.The skipper conceded just five runs from his 10 overs, picking up three wickets and bowling an astonishing 55 dot balls in his quota of overs.Fast bowler Rafael McKenzie was also impressive with 3-27 off 9.4 overs.Opener Balraj Narine made a quick 44 for the Select XI (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/February 26, 2025)Berbice, inserted to take first strike, were skittled out for 116 in 37.4 overs with Bacchus hitting a topscore of 20 (1×4), Saiad Jumratty scoring 16 (2x4s) and Tameshwar Deonandan 16 (1×4).Fast bowling spearhead Jasani Craig was outstanding with figures of 4-22 off 10 overs, four of which were maidens, while left-arm ‘chinaman’ bowler Joshua Thomas followed up his three-wicket haul in the first round with 4-37 off 7.4 overs. Brandon Grimmond chipped in with 2-19 off eight overs.Select XI bowlers Jasani Craig (right) and Joshua Thomas (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/February 26, 2025)Tournament fixtures (all matches bowl off at 09:30h)February 25: Demerara vs Select XI at Lusignan (Demerara won by 181 runs)February 25: Berbice vs Essequibo at LBI (Berbice won by 26 runs)February 26: Demerara vs Essequibo at LBI (Essequibo won by two wickets)February 26: Berbice vs Select XI at Lusignan (Berbice won by 19 runs)February 28: Berbice vs Demerara at LBIFebruary 28: Essequibo vs Select XI at LusignanThis tournament is being used by the National Junior Selection Panel of the Guyana Cricket Board to select the Guyana team to compete in the Cricket West Indies’ Rising Stars Regional Under-15 Championship 2025 in Antigua in April.The post U-15 Inter-county: Fredericks snatches win for Essequibo after Ramzan’s all-round heroics appeared first on News Room Guyana.