NAIN, Jamaica, CMC – A penetrative spell from Odean Brown helped holders Jamaica take the first step towards retaining the WICB Regional first-class championship title, with a 165-run victory over Guyana yesterday.
The leg-spinner snared five wickets for 69 runs from 35.5 overs, as Guyana, chasing 359 for victory, were dismissed for 193 in their second innings about 45 minutes before tea on the final day of their first round contest at the Alpart Sports Complex.
West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor supported with three for 40 from 14 overs, and Tamar Lambert, the Jamaica captain, captured two for 43 from 29 overs bowling his uncomplicated off-spin.
Rajendra Chandrika led the way for the Guyanese with 47, Derwin Christian scored 32, Shemroy Barrington made 31, and Leon Johnson got 23.
The victory was Jamaica’s fifth in their last six matches against Guyana since 2007, and put the home team in a three-way tie at the top of the standings with the Combined Campuses & Colleges and England Lions.
Guyana, who gained four points from taking a first innings lead, benefitted from a solid opening stand of 77 from Chandrika and Barrington, but this was all undone with careless batting from the rest of the side.
The visitors suffered an early setback, after they continued from their overnight 58 without loss, when Chandrika was lbw to Taylor in the first half-hour.
Barrington soon followed, when he edged Lambert to slip to leave Guyana on 88 for two, but left-handers Leon Johnson and Assad Fudadin, the Guyana captain, consolidated with level-headed batting.
But they both fell lbw in the last 15 minutes before lunch, when Lambert trapped Johnson in front, and Fudadin offered no stroke to Brown, to leave Guyana 119 for four.
After the interval, Brown and Taylor worked their way through the Guyana lower order in a rousing finish.
Brown had Royston Crandon caught at forward short leg for eight, bowled Vishal Singh for 10, and trapped Esuan Crandon lbw for a first-ball duck to leave the Guyanese 148 for seven.
Before the finish, Christian, whose only first-class hundred came two years ago against the Jamaicans, smashed Brown for four over mid-on, and clobbered him for a massive six over mid-wicket before magnificently square-driving Taylor for a bullet-like boundary on the heavy outfield.
Christian dumped Taylor to the long-on boundary for four, but missed a big drive at the next delivery from the same bowler, and was comprehensively bowled.
Browne continued to extract prodigious bounce from the pitch, but Taylor had Veerasammy Permaul caught at cover before Davendra Bishoo edged Brown to slip to spark Jamaican celebrations.
Jamaica face Windward Islands next Friday at the Queen’s Park Stadium in Grenada in the second round, when Guyana host Leeward Islands at Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground, Bourda.
Scoreboard
Jamaica 1st Innings 150
Guyana 1st Innings 183
Jamaica 2nd Innings 391 for four declared
Guyana 2nd Innings (target: 359)
(overnight 58 without loss)
S. Barrington c Jackson b *Lambert 31
R. Chandrika lbw b Taylor 47
L. Johnson lbw b *Lambert 23
*A. Fudadin lbw b Brown 8
V. Singh b Brown 10
R. Crandon c Jackson b Brown 8
+D. Christian b Taylor 32
E. Crandon lbw b Brown 0
V. Permaul c Hinds b Taylor 2
D. Bishoo c Samuels b Brown 19
B. Bess not out 3
Extras (b1, lb5, nb4) 10
Total (all out, 90.5 overs) 193
Fall of wickets: 1-77, 2-88, 3-117, 4-117, 5-135, 6-148, 7-148, 8-168, 9-171
Bowling: Taylor 14-3-40-3, Cotterrell 9-2-26-0, Bernard 3-0-9-0, Brown 35.5-4-69-5, Lambert 29-9-43-2
Result: Jamaica won by 165 runs
Points: Jamaica 12, Guyana 4
Man-of-the-Match: M. Samuels (Jamaica)
Umpires: V. Johnson, C. Mack
