BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Rookie speedsters Keon Harding and Chemar Holder stunned Guyana Jaguars on yesterday’s final day of their second round match in the Regional Four-Day Championship, to hand Barbados Pride a convincing seven-wicket victory.
Resuming on 141 for three at Kensington Oval, the five-time reigning champions had their middle and lower order wiped out by Harding and Holder, who combined to take the last seven wickets to fall for 117 runs.
The 23-year-old Harding finished with four for 77 while Holder, 21, picked up three for 63.
Set a straightforward 79 for their first win of the season, Pride were propelled by Test batsman Shamarh Brooks’s unbeaten 44 off 54 deliveries.
The defeat for Jaguars comes on the heels of their 10-wicket win over Leeward Islands Hurricanes in last week’s first round while Pride’s victory made up for their shock defeat to Windward Islands Volcanoes.
Beginning the day still 39 runs in arrears, much of Jaguars’ hopes rested on overnight batsmen Vishaul Singh and Raymon Reifer, and they looked to be staging a fightback when they extended their fourth wicket stand to 68.
Vishaul, resuming on 56, top-scored with 79 off 168 balls in just over 4-1/4 hours with 14 fours while fellow left-hander Reifer struck three fours and a six in scoring 31 off 71 balls in two hours.
They were separated when Reifer missed a booming drive at Holder and was caught at the wicket and Vishaul followed with 11 runs added, driving at a wide delivery from the same bowler and edging to third slip.
Opener Chandrapaul Hemraj, resuming his innings on eight after retiring hurt the previous evening, struck four fours and a six in a 50-ball 42, as he and Anthony Bramble (19) resisted in a 38-run, sixth wicket partnership.
On 199 for five at lunch, Jaguars were set back in the fifth over following the resumption when Bramble slashed at a short one from Harding and was caught by captain Kraigg Brathwaite at first slip on the second attempt.
Bramble’s downfall signalled the death knell for Jaguars as they lost their last five wickets for 27 runs.
Some of the shine was taken off Pride’s win when fast bowler Keon Joseph had left-hander Shayne Moseley caught at the wicket for a first-ball ‘duck’ with 10 runs on the board but Brooks joined Brathwaite (23) to add 60 for the second win and put their side on the brink of victory.
Even then, left-arm spinner Veersammy Permaul (2-11) knocked over Brathwaite and Jonathan Carter (7) as Jaguars went down still trying to salvage pride.