Defending Cricket West Indies’ Regional 50-overs champions Guyana, led by a disciplined bowling effort, registered a three-wicket win over table toppers’ Barbados and move to the top of the table at Sion Hill Playing Field yesterday.
In the other fifth round matches, Jamaica defeated the Leeward Islands by seven wickets while Trinidad and Tobago crushed Canada by 10 wickets in St. Vincent.
Guyana’s bowling rattled the powerful Barbados batting line up for a dismal 80 in 25 overs.
They then survived a late scare before triumphing reaching 81-7 in 29.5 overs in reply.
Seamer Qumar Torrington opened up proceedings, dismissing danger man and one of the leading run-scorers, Shain Brathwaite in the second over, while Joshua Jones ripped into the middle order.
He captured the prized wicket of Nico Reifer for 18 to move to the top of the wicket takers’ column.
Kevin Sinclair and Kevin Umroa were also among the wickets.
Only Kilano Brathwaite looked to spend any time at the crease with a patient 40-ball 18.
Jones and Sinclair claimed three wickets each for 20 and 21 respectively while Umroa bagged 2-10 and Torrington 1-28.
In reply, openers, Sachin Singh and Joshua Persaud knocked off more than half of the runs before Singh departed for an aggressive 21, including one six and one four to see Guyana 43-1 in the 12th over.
Persaud followed Singh three balls later.
Shemar Persaud was looking deadly and equally up to the challenge to destroy the Guyana batting line up. He added the wickets of Sinclair, skipper Bhaskar Yadram and Jones to end with an impressive spell of 5-19 in 9.5 overs.
Barbados also gave away 14 extras.
Meanwhile at Arnos Vale, Jamaica bundled out the Leeward Islands for 108 in 39.5 overs with Zawandi White once again showing he is a class above the rest with a brisk 51 from 56 balls including six fours and one six.
He got support from Elroy Francis and Kirt Pemberton with 17 and 11 respectively. The Jamaican bowlers shared the wickets with Sanjay Williams (2-13), Andre Blake (2-22) and Kirk McKenzie (2-15) being the main wicket takers.
In reply, McKenzie returned to add 43 for the opening stand with Bryan Brown before departing for 14 while Brown carried on to stroke 33 .
Andre McCarthy contributed 26 while Dominik Samuels added 16 to see Jamaica to 109-3 in 26.3 overs.
Also on the day, Kavian Naresh smashed an even half century while Raqib Shamsudeen blasted 34 as their 57-run partnership, supported by a fourth wicket stand of 48 from Naresh and Harkaran Mann, saw Canada post 155 all out in 37.1 overs. Jayden Seales bagged 4-40 from his 10 overs while Joshua James and Avenash Mohabirsingh snatched 3-37 and 3-6 respectively.
In reply, the Canadian bowling was never a threat as Navin Bidaisee and Cephas Cooper knocked over the total in 31.2 overs. Bidaisee faced 97 balls, smashing 10 fours and one six on his way to 67 not out while Cooper clobbered nine fours during his unbeaten knock of 71.
