Jamaica, reeling at one stage at 12-4, recovered to post a competitive 204-9 on the first day of the final round preliminary match of the West Indies Cricket Board regional four-day tournament at the Providence National Stadium yesterday.
Fast bowler Keon Joseph had given the locals the initiative by grabbing three of the first four wickets to fall after the Jamaicans won the toss and batted.
Jamaica lost their first wicket in the fourth over when opener Danza Hyatt was caught by the skipper Veersammy Premaul without scoring off Joseph.
Joseph continued to bowl with consistency and continued to reap success when he removed former West Indies player Brenton Parchment for one to a catch by Steven Jacobs.
Joseph’s opening bowler Ronsford Beaton continued his excellent season by picking up the wicket of Nkrumah Bonner (1) who edged a catch to wicket keeper Anthony Bramble.
At 3-4 the Jamaicans were in trouble and when Joseph got rid of Jamaica skipper Tamar Lambert who was comprehensively bowled for a duck at 12-4 Guyana were in the driver’s seat.
Jamaica owed their eventual total to two key partnerships the first being a 46-run stand between Jermaine Blackwood and David Bernard Jr., for the fifth wicket which halted the slide and after the Jamaicans had slumped to 88-6, Carlton Baugh and Nikita Miller added 89 for the eight wicket.
Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, supported the fast bowlers by also picking up three wickets.
He had Dave Bernard Jr., stumped by wicketkeeper Bramble for 29 and followed that by removing Odean Brown lbw for 7 immediately after Brown had smashed the only six of the match.
Bishoo’s third wicket came when he trapped Andrew Richardson lbw for 1 run.
Baugh Jr., the former West Indies wicket-keeper, like he did in the one-day game between the two sides, again came to his team’s rescue smashing an unbeaten 78.
He batted for nearly four hours and carved six fours in his 83-ball knock.
Blackwood played well for 37 before he was trapped lbw by skipper Permaul while Miller, the former West Indies spinner made 42 out of the stand of 89 with Baugh Jr., before he was lbw to Steven Jacobs.
Sheldon Cotterell was not on three when the umpires decided to call it a day due to bad light.
The action continues tomorrow at the Providence National Stadium at 9:30hrs
