NEW AMSTERDAM, Guyana, CMC – Barbados were still holding most, if not all of the aces, despite a fight-back from Guyana in the WICB regional first-class championship yesterday.
The visitors are now highly favoured for their third win of the season, as Guyana, set 329 for victory, reached 59 for three in their second innings at the close on the third day of their fifth round match at the Albion Sports Complex.
The Barbadian batting again failed to ease concerns about their stability, when Davendra Bishoo captured five wickets for 45 runs from 15.4 overs to hasten a declaration about an hour before the close on 154 for nine in their second innings.
Kraigg Brathwaite was the top scorer with 34, Kirk Edwards made 33, Jason Haynes got 21, and Dale Richards added 20, as several of the Barbadian batsmen got starts without carrying on.
It looked like Barbados would face a stiff challenge to sprint to victory, but Guyana were rocked in the last half-hour, when they lost three wickets for 18 runs.
Tino Best, their first innings wrecker-in-chief, made the breakthrough, when he had out-of-touch Guyana captain Sewnarine Chattergoon caught at square leg for 20.
Sulieman Benn then had Rajendra Chandrika caught at slip for 17, and Gajanand Singh was dubiously adjudged lbw to Pedro Collins to send Guyana crashing from 35 without loss to 53 for three just before stumps.
The day started for Barbados as promisingly as it finished, as Guyana, resuming on 189 for seven, were dismissed for 229 to hand the visitors a first innings lead of 174.
The Barbadians met little resistance from the Guyana tail, except Veerasammy Permaul, whose 36 was an electrifying cameo.
Tino Best distinguished himself, finishing with six for 65 from 15 overs, and Barbados captain Ryan Hinds collected three for 49 from 20 overs with his modest left-arm spin.
The Barbadians stunned most knowledgeable observers at the ground, when they chose not to enforce the follow-on.
No Barbadian batsman made a significant impact, as the Guyanese bowlers, led by Bishoo, who ended with match figures of 10 for 120 for the first time in first-class cricket, and Chattergoon put them in a spin.
Scoreboard
BARBADOS 1st Innings 403
GUYANA 1st Innings
(overnight 189 for seven)
*S. Chattergoon c C. Edwards b Best 1
R. Chandrika c Richards b *Hinds 32
G. Singh lbw b *Hinds 66
R. Crandon b Best 6
C. Barnwell b Best 15
S. Chanderpaul lbw b Best 23
+D. Christian lbw b *Hinds 16
Z. Mohammed b Best 1
V. Permaul c Best b Benn 36
D. Bishoo c wkpr Dowrich b Best 4
B. Bess not out 1
Extras (b5, lb6, nb17) 28
TOTAL (all out, 74.3 overs) 229
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-104, 3-116, 4-116, 5-138, 6-159, 7-174, 8-194, 9-203
Bowling: Collins 12-4-32-0 (nb3); Best 15-1-65-6 (nb12); Benn 15.3-6-23-1; Edwards 7-1-38-0; Hinds 20-7-49-3 (nb2); Stoute 5-1-11-0
BARBADOS 2nd Innings
D. Richards c (sub) V. Singh b Barnwell 20
K. Braithwaite c (sub) V. Singh b Permaul 34
J. Haynes b *Chattergoon 21
*R. Hinds c R. Crandon b *Chattergoon 2
K. Edwards c Chanderpaul b Bishoo 33
K. Stoute c *Chattergoon b Bishoo 5
+S. Dowrich c wkpr Christian b Bishoo 2
S. Benn b Bishoo 13
T. Best c and b Bishoo 18
P. Collins not out 3
Extras (b1, lb1, nb1) 3
TOTAL (9 wkts decl’d, 61.4 overs) 154
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-54, 3-56, 4-97, 5-116, 6-119, 7-122, 8-151, 9-154
Bowling: Bess 4-0-18-0; Barnwell 9-2-20-1; Chattergoon 23-6-35-2; Bishoo 15.4-3-45-5; Permaul 6-2-24-1 (nb1); Mohammed 4-2-10-0
GUYANA 2nd Innings (target: 329 runs)
*S. Chattergoon c Brathwaite b Best 20
R. Chandrika c Richards b Benn 17
G. Singh lbw b Collins 6
D. Bishoo not out 8
R. Crandon not out 0
Extras (lb2, nb6) 8
TOTAL (3 wkts, 16 overs) 59
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-49, 3-53
Bowling: Collins 6-1-21-1 (nb4); C Edwards 5-1-13-0; Best 2-0-22-1 (nb2); Benn 3-2-1-1
Position: Guyana trail by 270 runs with seven second innings wickets standing
Umpires: K. Barrasingha, N. Malcolm
CMC ik/ar/10