THE Guyana Jaguars led Barbados Pride by 55 runs with eight second innings wickets in hand at the end of the penultimate day of the Day/Night fourth round Regional Four-Day Championship fixture.Batting a second time,the hosts reached 32-2, when bails were lifted at 22:20hrs last evening at the Guyana National Stadium.
Opener,Shimron Hetymer,and night watchman Gudakesh Motie will resume today on 14 and one respectively.
After bowling the visitors out for 288, the hosts struggled in their second innings, and in the closing stages, Rajendra Chandrika (0) and Leon Johnson (13) squandered their wickets to hand the Barbadians the advantage.
Earlier, Test batsman Shai Hope (70) and Royston Chase (57) stroked contrasting half-centuries but the Jaguars’ bowlers fought back to secure a slim 23-run first innings lead.
Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul was the main wicket-taker in the hosts’ bowling attack with 4-48. He received support from fellow left-arm spinner Motie (2-55) and pacer Keon Joseph (2-70). Medium pacers Raymon Reifer and Christopher Barnwell were the other successful bowlers.
AT the start of the day, Hope and Shamarh Brooks continued from their overnight score of 48-2, and maintained their intent of frustrating the Guyanese, taking their third-wicket partnership to 83.
They succeeded for 58 minutes into the day’s play, and built on their solid platform with relative ease, facing little pressure either from the Guyanese bowlers or from the pink ball that did not do much in the air.
While Shivnarine Chanderpaul was guilty of a dropped catch when he gave Hope a life on 30, at first slip off the lively Joseph, Reifer bowled a terrible spell in which he struggled for line and length, and bowled a number of no-balls.
Both batsmen were allowed to score freely until Motie ended the partnership when he had the 28-year-old Brooks caught at the wicket for 41. His innings lasted for 79 balls, 119 minutes, and he reached the boundary on seven occasions.
Royston Chase joined Hope and greeted Joseph with three fours:two off of edges and one was an authoritative cover drive,all in one over.He then lofted Motie over the long on boundary before Hope registered his seventh fifty at this level by lifting Motie for a six over the long-on boundary. His fifty came up off 126 balls, 165 minutes, with eight fours and a six.
The West Indies pair continued in solid fashion, with Chase, who earlier in the year became the fourth West indies player to score a century and take five wickets in a Test (137 not out and 5-121 against India), in particular quick to pounce on anything that was short or wide.
The 24-year-old glided his way to a half-century that seemed to come far too easily, off just 74 balls, with seven fours and two sixes.
However, Permaul broke the 77-run stand on the stroke of dinner when Chase played forward, and in the process overbalanced, allowing Anthony Bramble to pull off a neat stumping. He batted for 91 minutes and faced 93 balls.
After the break, the 23-year-old Hope and Shane Dowrich made the most of ideal batting conditions and frustrated the Guyanese attack for 70 minutes before the hosts broke through, when Permaul removed Hope, through a top-edged sweep. His innings spanned 288 minutes, 231 balls, inclusive of 10 fours and a six.
Jonathan Carter was then dismissed, bowled by Motie without scoring, after which the second new ball was taken at the 89th over, and although it was a tough slog for the pacers, Joseph was impressive in his diligence. His eye-catching pace accounted for the removal of Dowrich (44), with the final ball of the second session.
Justin Greaves was then greeted with a vicious bouncer from Joseph, who was unlucky not to add to his wicket tally, after regulation catches offered by Stoute were put down by Barnwell and Leon Johnson respectively in the slip corridor.
However, Greaves (20) and Stoute (26), were both removed in quick succession by Permaul before Barnwell trapped last man, Kemar Roach leg before wicket.
The hosts were in immediate trouble when discarded West Indies opener Chandrika was trapped leg before wicket by the first ball of the innings from Roach.
Hetymer, who survived a chance on three, and together with Johnson took the score to 28 before Johnson was taken at extra cover off Chase.
However, the former West Indies Under-19 captain and Motie survived to the end.
BARBADOS Pride 1st innings (O/N 38-2)
K Brathwaite c wk Bramble b Joseph 6
A Alleyne c Chandrika b Reifer 8
S Hope c Johnson b Permaul 70
S Brooks c wk Bramble b Motie 41
R Chase st Bramble b Permaul 57
S Dowrich c Hetymer b Joseph 44
J Carter b Motie 0
K Stoute lbw b Permaul 26
J Greaves b Permaul 20
K Roach lbw b Barnwell 1
J Warrican not out 1
Extras: (nb-9, b-5) 14
Total: (all out; 104.1 overs) 288
Fall of Wickets: 1-15, 2-17, 3-100, 4-177, 5-210, 6-210, 7-243, 8-277, 9-286, 10-288
Bowlers: Joseph 20-2-70-2, Reifer 17-44-59-1, Barnwell 9.1-1-31-1, Permaul 34-16-68-4, Motie 24-10-55-2
GUYANA JAGUARS 2nd innings
R Chandrika lbw b Roach 0
S Hetymer not out 14
L Johnson c Brooks b Chase 13
G Motie not out 1
Extras: (nb-4) 4
Total: (for the loss of two wickets; 10 overs) 32
Fall of Wickets: 1-0, 2-28
Bowlers: Roach 5-1-14-1, Chase 5-1-18-1
