-but Guyana stroll to four-wicket win
Guyana’s campaign for regional limited overs supremacy began on a high note yesterday when they scored a four-wicket victory over the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) team at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, yesterday.
Replying to the CCC’s score of 250-6 of which Romel Currency made an unbeaten 102 and Kirk Wilkinson 76, the 2008 President’s Cup host responded with 253-6 from 48.3 overs, with Narsingh Deonarine (67), Assad Fudadin (60) and Christopher Barnwell (51) being the principal scorers.
Currency and Ramnarine Chattergoon (36) powered their way to a 54-run opening partnership with Chattergoon being severe on his countrymen especially Trevon Garraway whom he struck for a six and three fours in one over while Barnwell was dispatched through point for four.
The introduction of Veerasammy Permaul and Royston Crandon by skipper Travis Dowlin pegged things back for the hosts.
Chattergoon was bowled by Permaul while skipper Simon Jackson (00) and the experienced Floyd Reifer (00) fell in quick succession to leave the university students shakily placed on 57-3 in the 10th over.
Currency, who was steadfast at the other end, and Kirk Wilkinson (76) added 135 runs for the fourth wicket from 32 overs, which guided CCC to their challenging total.
A total of eight fours and one six was struck during the partnership but Wilkinson, after passing 50, which took him 95 balls, and seeing Currency get his from 89 balls, attempted to hit Deonarine out of the ground and succeeded in picking out Rajendra Chandrika on the long on boundary.
The CCC were 192-4 in the 42nd over and even though they lost Chad Walton (17) and Lopez (00) who were both bowled by Mahendra Nagamootoo in the 48th over, Currency, who began the final over needing 11 to get his maiden century, duly got so off the final delivery of the innings, striking Deonarine over long on for six.
All told Currency batted through the innings for his century, facing 137 balls and striking five fours and one six.
Permaul ended with 2-27 and Nagamootoo 2-52.
Guyana by virtue of completing their overs early, were left to face seven overs before the scheduled lunch break, in which they raced to 48 for the loss of Chandrika’s wicket.
He had reached four but was then caught by wicketkeeper Walton off Lopez as he attempted to drive a delivery pitched outside the off stump in the second over.
Deonarine and Barnwell repaired the damage with a 112-run, second-wicket partnership from 19.4 overs.
At lunch Guyana was 48-1 and the two batsmen soldiered on upon resumption.
They posted the 100-run partnership and their individual half centuries before Barnwell attempted to pull Kavesh Kantasingh over midwicket but picked out Chattergoon instead.
He faced 62 balls and struck four fours in his pugnacious innings of 51.
Deonarine soon followed, adjudged lbw to Chattergoon five overs later for a belligerent 67 that included 10 fours from 76 balls.
Bad shot selections were the downfall of Dowlin (14), Crandon (12) and Ferrier (08) and from the relatively comfortable position of 122-1, Guyana slipped to 204-6 in the 41st over.
Fudadin, Fudadin though was being calm at the other end, on 36 and a lot rested on his shoulders. He was joined by wicketkeeper Darwin Christian and, aided by some positive running between the wickets, coupled with some well placed shots, they saw their team to victory through an unbroken seventh wicket partnership of 49 runs from eight overs.
Christian struck Chattergoon over wide midwicket for six, while Fudadin sent a full length delivery from Emmanuel over long off for four, followed by a flick off his legs to backward square leg which sealed the win for Guyana.
Fudadin struck four fours and faced 86 balls for his unbeaten 60 whilst Christian faced 21 balls for his 26.
Chattergoon took 2-42 from his 10 overs for CCC.
Action in the competition will continue today with three more matches across Guyana. At Enmore, Windward Islands will take on CCC, Barbados and the USA will battle at the National Stadium while Trinidad and Tobago and Leeward Islands will face each other at Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground. All matches commence at 09:00am.
