Barbados 297/8 dec. (Kraigg Braithwaite 146 not out, Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai 4/76, Loyydel Lewis 2-47) lead Guyana 87 (Kwame Crosse 42, Justin Greaves 4-17) and 143 for 9 (Amir Khan 36, Ronsford Beaton 21, Shai Parris 2-13, Kyle Mayers 2-16, Greaves 2-15, Jones 2-31) by 67 runs with one wicket remaining.
On a day in which Jamaica clinched the 2011 three-day Under 19 title, Barbados were within sight of clinching third place in the West Indies Cricket Board 9WICB) tournament, after thoroughly outplaying a hapless Guyana side for the second consecutive day.
Barbados, resuming on 148 for 3 with not out batsmen Kyle Mayers on 34 and skipper Kraigg Braithwaite on 55, slowly but surely, began to fortify their dominance over the home side.
Led firstly by Braithwaite’s first hundred of the tournament – a solidly-composed vigil of 146 not out (10×4) from 335 balls.
It was his first ton at the Under-19 level since his 112 versus Guyana in the 2008 tourney.
He got support yesterday mainly from Neil Brown (34), as the two shared a 66-run, fifth wicket partnership – the only substantial one for the Bajans.
That innings was the bedrock in enabling Barbados posting 297 for 8 declared for an imposing first innings lead of 210.
Berbice left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie was the pick of the Guyanese bowlers, grabbing 4-76 from 26 overs.
Guyana’s second innings reply was almost a de ja vu of their first innings batting capitulation with West Indies Under-19 quick bowlers Justin Greaves and Jerome Jones again exposing the young Guyanese batsmen’s vulnerability to quick bowling.
All of the top six (6) batsmen failed to register double figures as Guyana slumped inexplicably to 59 for 6, when Anthony Adams slapped a full-toss straight back to part-time spinner Shai Parris.
The two lone West Indies Under-19 representatives in the local side; Captain Ronsford Beaton and Amir Khan for a while showed the top-order how it should have been done as they shared in the highest partnership of Guyana’s woeful innings of 42 for the eight wicket.
Their resistance was broken in the extended 30 minutes of play.
Beaton lost his off-stump to Parris and Khan was brilliantly caught by Anthony Alleyne diving forward at second slip, trying to fend off a sharp rising delivery from Greaves.
The boys from the land of flying fish were certainly flying at that stage as they sensed the chance to close the game off.
They almost did so, when off the last ball of the day, number 10 batsman Motie-Kanhai gloved Greaves and a easy catch at short-leg but was put down, as Guyana escaped the ignominy of being scuttled out in two days.
