Captain Leon Johnson cracked an unbeaten hundred yesterday while spinners Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo sliced through the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force batting order as the Guyana Jaguars piled up a 302-run lead heading into today’s final day of round six of the 2015/16 PCL Regional Four Day tournament at the Providence National Stadium.
At stumps, the Jaguars were 244-4 from 69 overs with the 28-year-old Johnson on 111, an innings which was overdue but nevertheless welcomed.
The left hander caressed 11 fours and a six during his 241 minute stay in the middle and will resume today with wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble (39).
IN an invited comment Johnson said he was dedicating the century to the late West Indies and Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) wicketkeeper Ivor Mendonca.
T&T debutant off-spinner Jon-Rus Jaggesar claimed all the wickets to fall, finishing with 4-67.
Permaul, the left-arm spinner, ended with 5-65, his 17th five-wicket haul at this level while West Indies leg-spinner Bishoo snap-ped up 3-48 as the Red Force folded for a first innings 179 in 70.4 overs, replying to the Jaguars 237.
Yannick Cariah top-scored with 58 (five fours and a six) and skipper Jason Mohammed scored 33.
Batting a second time, Tagenarine Chanderpaul (42) and Rajendra Chandrika (22) took the Jaguars to 21-0 at lunch but upon resumption, Jaggesar removed Test players Chandrika and Assad Fudadin.
Johnson, and the younger Chanderpaul, steadied the innings somewhat taking the score to 74-2 when tea was taken early.
Johnson was dropped on 10 and after the interval Jaggesar removed Chanderpaul for 42 before picking up the wicket of first innings century maker Vishaul Singh who struck an aggressive 24-ball 23 with four fours. Johnson, who batted for some 148 minutes before reaching 50 from 98 balls with four fours and a six, found himself running out of partners before Bramble came to the crease and the pair helped stretch the total past 250 with Johnson, 98, reaching his milestone with a clip for two runs through the on-side as stumps approached.
Earlier, the Red Force who were 136-3 on the third morning saw their batsmen mesmerized by Permaul’s magic.
Cariah and Mohammed, resuming on 58 and 11 respectively and their team trailing by 101 runs saw Permaul removing Cariah to a catch at forward short-leg before following up with the wicket of Mohammed who was trapped leg before wicket. The out-of-favor Test spinner then completed his haul when wicket-keeper Steven Katwaroo (1) and all-rounder Rayad Emrit (0) were caught at slip by Johnson and Fudadin respectively.
Bishoo then made light work of the Red Force remaining batsmen, accounting for the removals of Imran Khan (00),
Marlon Richards (01) and Yannick Ottley who endured a painstaking time at the crease for his 13. The match continues today at 9:30hrs.
