By Calvin Roberts
at Yorkshire Cricket Ground, Barbados
Compliments of: Smalta, Cummings Electrical, Life-time Realty, P&P In-surance, Cellular Plus and Hanes (Guyana) Limited
Jamaica were large and in charge at the end of the second day of their fourth round match against defending champions Guyana in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) TCL-sponsored 2008 regional under-19 cricket tournament at the Yorkshire Cricket Club ground, Barbados yesterday.
Not even a resilient batting display from Trevon Griffith (69) and Dillon Heyliger (46) could help the defending champions who, in reply to Jamaica’s first innings score of 354-9 declared, were bowled out for 214 after being 203-5 at one stage.
West Indies under-15 leg spinner Donovan Nelson and Jermaine Blackwood each claimed 4-52 to lead their team to first innings points.
At the close, Jamaica, batting a second time, were 47-1.
Scores Jamaica 354-9 declared and 47-1; Guyana 214.
With a lead of 140 runs, the Jamaican openers Horace Miller and Nick Blackwood consolidated their team’s position with an opening stand of 40 in quick time.
Miller made a whirlwind 26 from 23 balls with four fours and one six before he drove a delivery from Heyliger uppishly but straight to Seon Hetmyer at cover 10 minutes before the close of play.
Keon Joseph, who was extracting lots of pace and bounce from the flat wicket, then rapped Blackwood on the glove with a short delivery, but fortunately for the batsman, the ball went down to the unsecured fine leg boundary for four to push the score to 44-1. At the close, Jamaica were 47-1 with Blackwood on 17 (3×4) and Courtney Allen on one. They have an overall lead of 187 runs going into today’s final day.
Earlier, Guyana lost opener Royan Fredericks within the first hour of play after he played around a slow delivery from Gifton Wray.
He made 10 after batting for 52 minutes and facing 32 deliveries.
His opening partner Griffith and Jeetendra Sookdeo saw the 50 posted in the 18th over.
They took the score to 64-1 before Sookdeo, who was having problems reading Nelson, received a googly which he failed to negotiate and got an edgethrough to Courtney Allen at first slip.
Sookdeo faced 40 balls and struck two fours whilst batting for 42 minutes for his 16.
Griffith who was on 37 when Sookdeo departed, then drove Creary through midwicket for another boundary, but the bowler rebounded to remove Seon Hetmyer (0) in his next over 10 minutes before lunch to leave the defending champions on 71-3.
At lunch, Guyana were 84-3 from the 31 overs with Griffith on 49 (7×4; 1×6) and Jonathan Foo on eight.
After the luncheon break, Foo hit Jermaine Blackwood over short midwicket for two, and then watched
as Griffith brought up his maiden 50 at this level when he eased Nelson’s first delivery after lunch through midwicket.
He faced 96 balls whilst batting for 127 minutes, hitting seven fours and one six.
Griffith the upped the scoring rate by flicking Dunka who replaced Blackwood neatly off his pads to fine leg and followed it up with an audacious straight drive that sped away for successive boundaries as the score raced to 101-3. The team’s 100 having come up in 33.4 overs.
Foo whose previous best at this level was 23 was next to go. Shortly after passing that landmark Foo’s attempted pull shot off a short Nelson delivery found Nick Blackwood at mid on.
He made 32 from 45 balls and struck five fours in 48 minutes batting whilst adding 51 runs for the fourth wicket with Griffith.
All rounder Heyliger came off the mark with a sweep off Nelson through midwicket but Griffith had a slice of luck when Campbell at point failed to hold onto a dolly off the bowling of Nick Blackwood when on 68.
Griffith did not make the most of the let-off and one run later Griffith’s attempted drive found Creary at short extra cover.
His 69 came off 147 balls and he struck 10 fours and one six in 182 minutes batting.
Heyliger too was given a life when on eight and Guyana 140-5, by Lewis who once again failed to hold onto a chance when the batsman pushed forward to a faster delivery from Nelson.
He made the Jamaicans pay for the missed opportunity by pulling the final delivery of the over through backward square for four to push his score to 12 and Guyana to 144-5.
The sixth wicket partnership was worth 69 when in a collapse of West Indian-like proportions, Guyana lost their last five wickets for 10 runs.
The first to go was La Fleur who went back to cut a delivery from Nelson after hitting him for the boundary and was bowled. He made 35 from 76 balls and struck three fours whilst batting for 92 minutes.
Heyliger was then given another life when on 40 as Miller grassed an easy opportunity on the deep midwicket boundary off Nelson with Guyana 207-6.
However the Jamaicans quickly grabbed the wicket of Anthony Bramble (00) who was bowled by Jermaine Blackwood when he went for an expansive drive to a delivery pitched outside his off-stump.
Herman Latcha joined Heyliger and after enduring some anxious moments with their running between the wickets, Latcha was adjudged lbw to Blackwood who accounted for Joseph two balls later.
Heyliger (46) attempted to hit Nelson over long on but picked out Blackwood on the boundary and from the comfortable position of 204-5, Guyana were bowled out for 214 at 4:05pm, surrendering first innings points for the second time and a mammoth lead of 140.
Heyliger faced 115 balls and struck two fours and the same number of sixes whilst batting for 147 minutes before being the last wicket to fall leaving Totaram Bishun unbeaten on nought.
Creary (1-21) and Dunka (1-29) were the other wicket takers for Jamaica.
JAMAICA 1st Innings 354-9 dec. (*A Creary 118; Keon Joseph 3-40)
GUYANA 1st Innings
R Fredericks b Dunka 10
T Griffith c Creary b Nelson 69
J Sookdeo c Allen b Nelson 16
S Hetmyer c Blackwood b Creary 0
J Foo c N Blackwood b Nelson 32
D Heyliger c J Blackwood b Nelson 46
*E La Fleur b Nelson 35
A Bramble b J Blackwood 0
H Latcha lbw b J Blackwood 1
K Joseph lbw b J Blackwood 0
T Bishun not out 0
Extras (b2, lb2, w1) 5
TOTAL (all out – 82.2 overs) 214
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-64, 3-71, 4-122, 5-134, 6-203, 7-208, 8-214, 9-214
Bowling: Dunka 9-1-29-1, Wray 11-2-31-0, J Blackwood 22-8-52-4, Nelson 23.2-5-52-4, Campbell 9-2-25-0, Creary 6-0-21-1.
JAMAICA 2nd Innings
N Blackwood not out 17
H Miller c Hetmyer b Heyliger 26
C Allen not out 1
Extras (nb3) 3
TOTAL (for 1 wicket – 10 overs) 47
Fall of wickets: 1-40
Bowling: Joseph 5-0-19-0, Heyliger 5-0-28-1
Position: Jamaica are 187 runs ahead with nine 2nd innings wickets standing
Toss: Jamaica.
Umpires: T. Franklyn, R. Brathwaite.
