-Chattergoon hits first ton as captain
Host Guyana and their visitors Barbados played to a tame draw in their final round match of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)-sponsored Headley/Weekes regional four-day match at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence yesterday.
Needing to score 299 for an unlikely victory from 29 overs after bowling their opponents out for 360, Barbados ended on 67-1 when play was called off, with Kirk Edwards on 29 which was decorated with four fours and Shamarh Brooks 12 (2×4).
Scores in the match: Guyana 334 and 360, Barbados 396 and 67-1.
Guyana’s skipper Sewnarine Chattergoon stroked his way to his first century (111) as captain and also for the season, against the bowling of right arm leg spinner Nikolai Charles who ended with his first five wicket haul of the season, 5-99.
The home team who have not won a match this season whilst losing six, commenced the final day on 167-3 with Chattergoon and Vishal Singh on 72 and 14 respectively and progressed to 228 before they lost Singh who was caught at the wicket by Carlo Morris off Charles.
Prior to his dismissal, the 20 year old Singh one of four replacements in the final eleven, had dispatched Ryan Hinds to the wide long on boundary and through cover point for his two boundaries in his overall score of 34 made off 107 balls, whilst adding 96 for the fourth wicket with Chattergoon.
At the other end, Chattergoon took a liking to fast bowler Kemar Roach, by hitting him through midwicket, back along the ground, through backward square leg followed by a steer to third man, all for boundaries in two overs.
At the end of the first hour’s play, Guyana had scored 61 runs from 18 overs, with Singh contributing 20 and Chattergoon who displayed an attacking mode from the first ball of the day, 29 with six fours.
Chattergoon moved from 89 to 97, with two more boundaries through cover point and to fine leg, before he swept Charles who had replaced Hinds at the Media Centre end, to fine leg for three to post his first century of the season, fifth in first class matches and second for Guyana in the match.
He faced 182 balls from 269 minutes batting, hitting 17 fours in the process and celebrated by hitting Shane Ramsay over midwicket for six before he swept at Charles and was caught by Tino Best at short fine leg for 111 made off 206 deliveries, embellished with 17 fours and one six whilst batting for 322 minutes.
At lunch, Guyana were 275-5 with Royston Crandon who struck Ramsay for six on 32 and Delbert Hicks six, but they were both separated in quick succession after the break, Hicks via the run out route whilst Crandon was caught by Morris off Charles to leave Guyana on 291-7.
Barbados must have had thoughts about wrapping up the home team’s innings quickly, but Esaun Crandon and Devendra Bishoo had other ideas in mind, when they both struck Brooks for maximums in his first over which cost the visitors 17 runs.
But their eight-wicket partnership which yielded 64 runs with five fours and two sixes from 124 balls, was broken when Crandon (31) failed to beat a return from Charles, who had Permaul adjudged lbw, followed by the wicket of Bishoo caught by Roach at midwicket for 39, to dismiss Guyana for 360 on the stroke of tea.
Brandon Bess was unbeaten on one whilst Kevin Stoute who did not bowl yesterday, finished with his grand figures of 2-19 from nine overs, as Barbados were left with the daunting task of scoring 299 for victory from 29 overs.
Barbados’ run chase got off to a sound start as openers Kraigg Brathwaite (15) and Edwards posted 39 for the first wicket from 5.2 overs, before Brathwaite who had struck Bess to fine leg and long leg for boundaries, got a leading edge and was caught by substitute Steven Jacobs at midwicket off Esaun Crandon.
Edwards was joined by Brooks who struck Bishoo through midwicket for successive boundaries, followed by a tickle to fine leg off Permaul whilst Edwards struck the wayward looking Bess for four as Barbados raced to 62-1 from 12 overs.
When play was called off two overs later at 1607 hrs, Barbados were 67-1 with Kirk Edwards on 29 and Brooks 12.
The drawn encounter left Guyana in the cellar position of the seven-team double-round competition on 33 points, whilst Barbados who took first innings points in the match, ended above the Guyanese in joint sixth position with CCC on 60.
Stoute was declared the man of the match for his first innings score of 186 which went along with his match figures of 5-76.