TCL Group regional U-19 three-day cricket (4th round)

Jul 22, 2008 Sports

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LaFleur hits 85 as Guyana slip to second place

with draw against Jamaica

By Sean Devers in Barbados
In association with Digicel, TCL,
Pepsi, Smalta, Demerara Power Company
& Lifetime Realty

Front runners and defending champions Guyana slipped to second on the points table after their penultimate round TCL Group regional under-19 three-day cricket match against Jamaica ended in a draw in fading light at 17:33 hrs the Yorkshire ground yesterday.

Set 256 to win from a minimum of 60 overs plus the final hour, Guyana, led by a defiant unbeaten 85 from skipper Eugene LaFleur, reached 167-8 by the close to move to 31 points, three behind new leaders Barbados, going into the final round from Thursday.

The Jamaicans, who face Barbados in their final match, moved from 14 to 20 points and can no longer win the championship.
Scores: Jamaica 354-9 declared & 115-6 declared; Guyana 214 & 167-8.

La Fleur faced 176 balls, batted for 278 minutes and reached the boundary 13 times and added 52 in 22.3 overs with pacer Keon Joseph who made eight not out from 68 balls to see Guyana to safety after they had joined forces with their team in trouble on 114-7 at 15:30hrs.

The pint-size LaFleur, who scored 70 in the second round, put his team first and on several occasions, refused a single to keep the strike as he closed in on what would have been a maiden century at this level.

Earlier, Jamaica, with a 140-run first innings lead, resumed their second innings on 47-1 and lost Courtney Allen (2) to medium pacer Seon Hetmyer in the day’s first over with the score on 49. Kennar Lewis, one of three Jamaican centurions in the competition, did not last long as Guyana, without strike bowler Joseph (hip bone injury), went on the defensive in bright sunshine.

Heyliger trapped Lewis (7) leg before at 61-3 as Jamaica desperately tried to score quickly to keep their chances of an outright win alive.

Blackwood, who was miss-stumped off Heyliger on 23, stroked the medium pacer for consecutive boundaries and clipped Hetmyer for consecutive sixes, the first of which brought up his 50 from 59 balls, 91 minutes with six fours and a six.

Blackwood and West Indies under-15 left-hander John Campbell, who clobbered left-arm spinner LaFleur for four in his first over, carried the score to 112 before Campbell (14) was run out.

Jermaine Blackwood was promoted to score quick runs but Herman Latcha soon bowled Nick Blackwood for 57 and had Marvarick Perry caught for a first-ball duck as Jamaica declared 10:54hrs with the off-spinner on a hat-trick. Nick Blackwood faced 61 balls and hit six fours and two sixes in his half-century.

Latcha (2-3) and Heyliger (2-63) were the most successful bowlers for the Guyanese who reached 33-3 off 10.2 overs by lunch. Royan Fredricks (5) was bowled by Gifton Wray and Trevon Griffith (2) was lbw to left-arm pacer Romeo Dunka who finished with 3-49.

Both wickets tumbled with the score on seven to balls that kept very low as the openers again failed to build a foundation for their team.

Jonathan Foo (8) played an audacious cover drive for four off Dunka before he had his stumps scattered off the next ball, which crept along the ground and Guyana were on the ropes at 25-3.

At the interval, Hetmyer was unbeaten on zero while Jeetendra Sookdeo who had to be lifted off the field after he injured himself as he collided with Dunka while attempting a single off the last ball of the session, was not out on 17.

Complaining of severe abdominal pain, Sookdeo was carried to the hospital in an Ambulance and was forced to retire during the lunch break.

Guyana’s woes continued when Hetmyer (4) extended his run of low scores in the tournament when he was caught behind off the impressive Dunka just after the break to leave Guyana, hunting a hat-trick of titles this year, on 37-4.

Heyliger greeted first innings tormentor West Indies under-15 leg-spinner Donavan Nelson with a massive six to bring up the 50 in 17.5 overs.

LaFleur cut Dunka behind point for four and Heyliger eased the pacer to the cover boundary two balls later before LaFleur smashed Nelson for consecutive off-side boundaries as Guyana maintained the required run rate for victory.

Heyliger (16) then hit a full toss back to Jermaine Blackwood to leave the score on 81-5 before the level headed LaFleur (40*) and Anthony Bramble (4*) saw Guyana to tea at 99-4.

Needing 157 to win in the final session, Guyana began positively after tea when Bramble hooked Dunka disdainfully for six as he and his Skipper extended their partnership to 30 before Bramble (16) played a reckless swipe and was caught and bowled at 111-6.

Latcha joined LaFleur who showed wonderful temperament and seemed unfortunate to be given out caught at bat/pad for a duck off Jermaine Blackwood at 111-7 as Jamaica tightened the screws.

With the news that Sookdeo was on his way from the hospital and would bat if necessary, LaFleur and Joseph stayed together until rain stopped play at 15:39hrs with Guyana on 117-7 off 46.5 overs.

Play re-started at 16:08hrs and seven overs were lost resulting in Guyana having to bat another seven overs before the mandatory 15 began in the final hour.

LaFleur drove Jermaine Blackwood to the cover boundary to reach his second fifty in the competition from 115 balls, 166 minutes with six fours and followed it up with a spanking straight driven boundary off Gifton Wray.

LaFleur was then trapped lbw to a ball that kept low from spinner Allen at 166-8, fifteen minutes before the close but by then the survival job was almost complete.

The ninth wicket pair of Sookdeo who retuned to bat and Joseph then ensured that Guyana kept their three points by preventing Jamaica from winning outright. Guyana face Trinidad and Tobago in their next game at the Lester Vaughan ground.

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