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Prolific Braithwaite hit 32nd century, as rain wash out GCA/ Combermere match
By Sean Devers
Prolific West Indies under-15 opener Kraig Braithwaite looked as ominous as the dark clouds hanging over the DCC ground yesterday as he ‘carried his bat’ for a magnificent unbeaten century for the Combermere School under-15 team of Barbados against the Georgetown Cricket Association under-15s.
By the time bad light and later torrential rain and peels of thunder ended the contest at 16:01hrs in extremely dark conditions, the Guyanese were 47-4 from 14 overs replying to the 219-3 off their allotted 35 overs made by the visitors.
The right-handed Braithwaite, with his Shivnarine Chanderpaul-like temperament and love for batting, stroked four fours three sixes in his undefeated 107 from 98 balls.
The compact opener, whose first scoring shot was a six off Davin Murray, batted all 109 minutes of his team’s innings to post the 32nd century of his short career in authoritative fashion.
But it was not an all-Braithwaite show on a good track and fast outfield. Thirteen-year-old Jonathan Drakes reached the boundary five times and cleared it twice in his 75-ball 63 and matched his more illustrious partner shot-for-shot in their 136-run opening partnership before Drakes was bowled by Vishal Narine in the 27th over.
Justin Greaves chipped in with 17 as Braithwaite, the leading run scorer in the recent Clico International under-15 series in the Caribbean, played in rare aggressive fashion to reach the three-figure mark with an array of commanding drives.
Barbados’ lone centurion in this year’s regional under-19 three-day series in Barbados with 112 against Guyana, Braithwaite, who turns 16 in December, showed Guyanese fans why he is regarded as one of the most level-headed young Caribbean batsmen as he flayed the hapless bowlers.
The Bajan students had their Georgetown counterparts in early trouble at 3-1 before Chanderpaul Hemraj, with a defiant unbeaten 27, steadied the rocking ship with sensible batting in murky conditions before the recent unseasonable weather that has hit this South American country recently, ended the contest prematurely.
Medium pacer John Banfield removed Narine and Sunil Hussain for ducks in the first over while Greaves sent back wicketkeeper Sarfraz Esau (1) in the next over and the Roddy Eswick Coached students were celebrating as much as their fellow Caribbean nationals, who were cavorting yesterday at the Guyana National Stadium on the opening day of the Guyana hosted Carifesta X festivities.
Just as Hemraj was staging ‘operation rebuild’ and making the lads from the 166 square mile Island work for more success, the rain sent the players scurrying off the field.
The tourists from the leading school for sports in Barbados will take the weekend off to experience Guyana’s beauty.
They are scheduled to visit the Guyana Zoological Park today and Splashmin’s Fun Park tomorrow before going back into action on Monday when their under-15 team play on the famous Bourda sward and their under-19s do battle at the GYO ground.
The team is expected to return home on Friday and their touring squad includes Barbados under-19 Braithwaite, Dario Vaughn and Ruston Chase who play in the under-19 side.
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