Led by a resilient and unbeaten half century from middle order batsman Royston Crandon, Guyana which is yet to win a game in this year’s West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional four-day competition, reached 208-6 at the end of the first day against Barbados at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence yesterday.
Crandon strode to the wicket at the fall of debutant Vishal Singh’s wicket and at the close, he had accumulated an unbeaten 65 with eight fours from 109 balls. Along with his elder brother Esaun who was on four, he saw Guyana to their eventual target at the close of play when bad light stopped play at 17:43hrs.
Winning the toss and opting to take first strike in overcast conditions on a flat wicket, the Sewnarine Chattergoon-led Guyana side raced to 15 without loss in the fourth over, before they lost the wicket of Christopher Barnwell.
The pugnacious Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) all-rounder who scored 360 runs with two half centuries and the highest score of 57, got the innings off with a four off the lively Tino Best, followed by two more boundaries through extra cover off the bowling of Kemar Roach.
At the other end, Chattergoon hit Shane Ramsay for two fours in three balls, including an audacious drive off the front foot through the extra cover area, before Barnwell was unfortunately sent on his way via the run-out route in the fourth over.
Chattergoon and Assad Fudadin added 35 for the second wicket, with the latter driving Ramsay through extra cover for four, followed by another through the mid-off region off the bowling of the 17-year-old debutant fast bowler Jason Holder as Guyana’s 50 was raised in the 17th over.
Chattergoon, who replaced Travis Dowlin as the skipper for this encounter, did not hang around long enough after his team’s 50 was posted, as he pushed tentatively forward to a Holder delivery and presented wicketkeeper Carlo Morris with a regulation catch to give Holder his maiden first class wicket.
Fudadin continued to soldier on with Gajanand Singh and when the heavens opened up at 11:30hrs to not only force the players off the field, but offer the opportunity for an early lunch break, Guyana were 57-2 with Fudadin on 21 and Singh one.
When play got underway at 14:00hrs, 110 minutes were lost but it did not hamper the Barbadians, who had lost their last game to the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) by five wickets, as they removed Fudadin, who was palpably trapped on the crease by Kevin Stoute.
The tea break came with Guyana 90-3, with Gajanand Singh and debutant Vishal Singh (no relation) on 17 and four respectively, but as was the case after the lunch break, Guyana lost the inexperienced Vishal Singh who hung his bat loosely outside his off-stump to Stoute, offering Morris another regulation catch.
The 100 was posted for Guyana in the 38th over, as one of Guyana’s consistent middle order batsmen, Royston Crandon, opened his account by hitting Stoute through backward point for four, joining forces with Gajanand Singh, who followed suit by steering Roach to third man for four.
But as the saying goes, ‘fortune favours the brave’ and the brave in this instance was right-arm leg spinner Nikolai Charles who was entrusted with the ball and gifted a flat Providence wicket.
After drawing Singh forward and beating his bat a few times in his first over, Charles forced the batsman to edge a googly straight to the waiting hands of Ramsay at first slip, to send the batsman on his way for 28.
Debutant wicketkeeper/batsman Delbert Hicks who has been in fine form recently for his club Rose Hall Town Windies Sports Bar (RHTWSB), started positively with a drive back past Charles for four, followed by two more boundaries in the bowler’s next two overs.
The 25 year old Crandon who was competing in his 13th first class match, also took a liking to Charles, by hitting him for two boundaries off successive deliveries in his fifth over, raising his team’s 150 in the 55th over, or 17 overs after the 100 was posted, with Crandon on 26 and Hicks 17.
After posting 53 runs from 113 balls with seven fours for the sixth wicket with Royston Crandon, Hicks lost his wicket, courtesy of a running catch from West Indies Under-19 skipper Shamarh Brooks on the deep backward square leg boundary, sweeping at Ryan Hinds.
He scored 27 of the partnership runs from 42 balls and struck four fours during his 48 minutes sojourn with Crandon, who went on to record his fifth first class half-century for the season from 80 balls and 143 minutes of batting with seven fours.
Stoute who has so far taken 2-28, is the most successful bowler for Barbados, receiving support from Holder (1-19), Hinds (1-29) and Charles 1-42.
Guyana, which has not won a match this season and made three changes to the 13-man squad by replacing Dowlin, Leon Johnson and wicketkeeper Derwin Christian with Vishal and Gajanand Singh and Hicks, rested Steven Jacobs and Trevon Garraway.
Their opponents from the Land of the Flying Fish left out fast bowler Barrington Yearwood and Under-19 skipper Rashidi Boucher from the final eleven in a game which saw only 66 minutes being lost overall, due to the time being replayed prior to the close.
