Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 03, 2015 Sports
By Sean Devers
After a poor start to the year by Guyana’s senior team which failed to win a single game in the Regional Four-Day First-Class tournament, this country completed its most successful year at the Regional level despite the challenges faced by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).
The GCB had to deal with several contentious issues including the Guyana Cricket Administration Bill which was passed in Parliament and assented to by President Donald Ramotar. The WICB recognized the GCB as the only entity to run Cricket in Guyana but the dispute resulted in this country losing the Test match between West Indies and New Zealand set for Providence.
A high level discussion between the GCB, WICB and the Government paved the way for Guyana to host the 2014 Regional under-19 tournaments. Guyana, for the first time, won the double crown by playing unbeaten in both tournaments.
This country reached the semi-final of the NAGICO Super50 tournament in T&T, was runner-up in the Regional Women’s tournament in Dominica, won the Regional U-15 tournament in Jamaica before the Guyana Jaguars ended a highly successful year by assuming the lead in the WICB Four-Day First-Class Cricket Franchise after the opening phase of four matches.
While the National Rugby team should win the ‘team of the year award’ since they enjoyed success at both Regional and International levels, the GCB stood firm in troubled waters and their teams responded by lifting three titles and finishing runner-up in two others and must be in high in contention for Sporting Association of the year award when the NSC holds their annual National Sports Awards.
Narsingh Deonarine (309) is second on the runs aggregate, Anthony Bramble (16) is the leading Wicketkeeper, while Veerasammy Permaul (33) and Devendra Bishoo (21) are the top wicket-takers when the first phase of the Four-Day Franchise ended in December 2014.
The NAGICO Super50 began Regional cricket for the year and the entire tournament was played in Trinidad and Tobago. Guyana were beaten in the semi-finals by seven wickets by Barbados in the Day/Night fixture at the Queens Park Oval.
Deonarine made 58 as Guyana made 181 before the Bajans replied with 182-3 in 46 overs. Guyana began with a 114-run win against Ireland with Shiv Chanderpaul (79) and Trevon Griffith (62) putting on 129 for the first wicket before Sarwan weighed in with an unbeaten 89.
On the back of half-centuries from Fudadin, Sarwan and Barnwell, Guyana beat the Windwards by 22 runs before losing by 10 runs to Jamaica despite 65 from Chanderpaul as many of the Guyana players were struck down by illness. Barbados beat T&T in the final and Guyana were still without a 50-over title since 2005.
Guyana began their First-Class campaign in February in Jamaica and Sarwan and Chanderpaul pulled out on the morning of the game with injuries. Jamaica won by seven wickets despite 73 from Visual Singh, 5-76 from Veerasammy Permaul and a 42-run last wicket stand between Keon Joseph and Ronsford Beaton.
Guyana returned to Providence, and without a win against Barbados on home soil since 1984, lost to the Bajans by 136 runs even though Chattergoon (50) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (41) put on 92 for the first wicket before Guyana slumped to 140 all out. Davendra Bishoo took 5-71 but Guyana crumbled for 94 to lose their second match in a row.
Guyana then drew with the Windwards at Providence when Sunil Ambris scored 114 on debut. Assad Fudadin made 82 and Permaul took 7-49. Guyana then traveled for a Day/Night game in Barbados to face CCC, who they hammered them by seven wickets despite half-centuries from Fudadin and Bramble. Hundreds from Shacoya Thomas and Chadwick Walton compounded Guyana’s woes.
In Antigua, the Leewards beat Guyana by five wickets although Leon Johnson scored the only ton by a Guyanese for the season which got progressively worse for the South Americans.
Guyana returned home for their final match and drew with T&T with Bishoo claiming the best bowling figures by a Guyanese when he bagged 9-78. Johnson (78), Barnwell (50) and Zaheer Mohamed (58) got fifties before Bishoo snatched 6-71 to end with (15-149) the second best match figures in the history of Regional cricket as Guyana the season without a single victory. The GCB held an inquest to investigate the poor performance and concluded that negativity and ‘playing for self’ instead of country, was the main reason for one of the worst showings by Guyana in recent times.
Guyana played unbeaten in the group stage in the Regional Women’s tournament in Dominica. In the semi-finals at the picturesque Botanical Gardens the Guyanese lasses beat Barbados by three wickets before losing by 218 runs to champions Jamaica in the final.
Natasha McLean hit eight sixes and eight fours in an explosive 96 and along with Chenille Henry (85) flayed the Guyanese girls to all parts of the Windsor Park ground to gallop to 309 in 50 overs. Guyana were shot out for 91 with Haseena Mohamed, who took two wickets, top-scoring with 19. Off-spinner Phaffiana Millington and Akaze Thompson also took wickets for Guyana to give them the runner-up spot. Tremayne Smartt was outstanding throughout the tournament despite not shining in the final and later for her efforts copped the Guyana female cricketer of the year award.
In Jamaica, Guyana’s under-15 team won four of their five games to top the points table with 24 points Alphius Bookie, Steve Deonarine, Joshua Persaud, Kris Ramnarine, Kevin Sinclair, Bhaskar Yadram all scored half-centuries in a solid Guyana batting performance. Colin Barlow and Yadram captured six wickets each while off-spinner Sagar Hetheramani had five wickets.
Guyana finished fourth in the Regional under-17 tournament in Tobago as only Adrian Sukwah, Sherfane Rutherford and Kemo Paul reached 100 runs or scored a half-century in the tournament. Paul was the only bowler with 10 wickets, while Ricardo Ali Mohammed and Rutherford reached five wickets.
Guyana played unbeaten in both the Regional Three-Day and 50-over competitions that were played in Guyana to win the ‘double’ for the first time while their three-day title was their first since 2008 in St Kitts.
West Indies openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Shemron Hetmyer scored hundreds in both versions, while Kemo Paul and Akashay Homraj had fifties in both formats also. Leg-spinner Steven Sankar (13) had the most wickets in the three-day tournament while Shiraz Ramcharran had 12 wickets.
The Guyana Jaguars played consistently good cricket in every session except for that one unforgettable morning of the final day of their third round encounter against Barbados Pride, when set 69 to win, they slumped to their second lowest total ever and were bowled out for 67 to suffer an unbelievable two-run defeat.
That apart, it was an almost flawless performance by the Jaguars, who roared to three wins in the first four games in the first phase of the WICB Four-Day First-Class Cricket Franchise before the tournament took a break for Christmas.
On a slow, spin friendly Providence track the Jaguars whipped the Windwards and Leewards as Narsingh Deonarine scored back-to-back centuries (110* & 139) and Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul (who had two eight-wicket hauls) and Deonarine conspired to spin webs round the opposition batsmen.
Shiv Chanderpaul made 62 as the Jaguars fell nine short of a 300 total, a score they would reach twice in the first four games as the batsman consistently provided scores for their bowlers to successfully defend.
Wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble’s responsible 73 rescued his team from 139-6 to a 250 plus total after West Indies under-19 opener Shimron Hetmyer played with refreshing maturity to fall three short of a maiden half-century to leave Jaguars scenting blood against the Bajans going into final day. What transpired after that was due to sheer reckless batting and was described as ‘complacency’ by Vishaul Singh on his Captaincy debut.
Out to prove that the unexpected win by Barbados was just a rare bad session this season, the Jaguars ripped the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force to shreds with a commanding innings & 60-run mauling in Port-of-Spain in their first game away from home with Singh leading from the front with an accomplished 141. Rajendra Chandrika (60), Bajan Raymond Reifer (58), Chris Barnwell (65*) and Permaul (50*) all contributed fifties as the Jaguars made 492-8 declared.
The Jaguars were easily the most consistent team with two totals over 250, one over 300 and another close to 500. Deonarine (2) and Singh were among the seven batsmen to score centuries while Permaul’s 33 wickets were 12 more than leg-spinners Imran Khan and Devendra Bishoo, who have the second most scalps with 21 each.
Permaul showed all-round ability with his unbeaten 50, his second First-Class half-century, and earned for himself a pick in the World Cup 30-man squad. All-rounders Reifer and Barnwell were both steady with their medium pace and could be key players when the Regional Super50 starts on January 15 in T&T.
Despite their unexpected defeat to Barbados, the Jaguars maintained their lead throughout the first phase to accumulate 57 points at the break.
Meanwhile, on the local front Demerara won the senior four-day Inter-County title, while Berbice took the 50-over title. Berbice took the female Senior Inter-County tournament .
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Apr 19, 2024
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