West Indies Championship Shepherd 5-24, Bramble’s 62 give Jaguars slim advantage;22 wickets tumble on eventful 1st day

Mar 08, 2019 Sports

---

Story and photos by Sean Devers

A fair size working day gathering saw 22 wickets tumble on an eventful opening day of the Guyana Jaguars’ final round day/night match against Trinidad Red Force in the fifth annual Regional Four-Day Championship last night at Providence.
Twenty-five-year-old Romario Shepherd bowled with good pace and control to capture 5-24; his second five-wicket haul, which took his tally for the season to 34 scalps. The Berbician from Tucber Park got support from Sherfane Rutherford who took 2-31 as Red Force were bowled out for 120 half hour after the first break.
Only Imran Khan with 37 from 43 balls and 67 minutes with eight fours and Tion Webster 30 from 60 balls, 62 minutes with five four, reached 30. Anthony Bramble’s 10th first-Class fifty (62 from 76 balls, 114 minutes with 7 fours and a six) was the only score above 20 for the Jaguars who reached 165 with Daniel St Clair (3-29), Oden Smith (3-37) and Anderson Phillip (2-63) doing the damage for the Red Force who were 17-2 in their second innings still 28 runs in arrears.

Red Force with a deficit of 45 began their second innings and needing to survive 11 overs to the close. Solozano was caught behind off the first ball from Shepherd before Webster drove Shepherd past mid-off for four. DaSilva got off the mark by edging Reifer for four before Rutherford removed Webster.
Earlier, in scorching heat, the Red force opted to bat on a track with a tinge of green and some help for the pacers, 20-year-old Joshua DaSilva (0) cut at a wide delivery from Raymon Reifer and was taken at Gully without a run on the board.
Jeremey Solozano (6) edged Shepherd for four before edging him to second slip at 11-2 while three runs later, Skipper Denish Ramdin (1) who joined the team late, played at one that left him from the impressive Shepherd and nicked a catch to the Keeper.
Shepherd struck three balls later when Jason Mohammed was caught at third slip for a duck as the team from a Country which celebrated the biggest Carnival in the Caribbean last Tuesday slumped to 14-4.
Tion Webster stroked Reifer gloriously through the covers for four before square-driving and pulling Shepherd past wide mid-on for back-to-back boundaries and along with Khary Pierre, who scored his maiden century in the last round took the score to 42.
Webster was then caught behind off Rutherford for 30 after facing 60 balls from 62 minutes with five fours. Pierre then gloved a hook of a short ball from Barnwell which got ‘big’ on him and Bramble came forward to take the lobbed catch for his 40th dismissal of the tournament.
Khan and Smith counter attacked before the powerfully built Smith who pulled him into the Red Stand and smashed him for four was bowled by Rutherford for a cameo 19 at 78-7. Khan, who began as an opener, was batting well on a good wicket against some testing seam bowling and with St Clair carried the Jaguars to 94-7 by dinner break.
After the 30-minutes interval was completed, St Clair was LBW to Veerasammy Permaul at 108-8 before Khan hung his bat at one that left from Shepherd, who removed Phillip for a duck four runs later as Red Force were bowled 30 minutes after the break.

Chasing the small total, another failure by the Jaguars’ top order left them on the ropes at 42-4. Chanderpaul Hemraj (4) whipped Phillips for four before being caught behind next ball at 14-1 before Chanderpaul, who tucked Phillip effortless past mid-on and drove him delightfully the cover boundary, was caught and bowled, driving powerfully back St Clair for eight as two wickets fell on 14.
Skipper Leon Johnson’s woes continued when pushed forward hesitantly and missed a ‘nothing’ shot to be bowled by the lively St Clair for a duck with the score 22-3. Singh looked compact while Chris Barnwell slashed St Clair past point for four and punched Phillip behind point for successive boundaries before two sets of flood lights on the western side of the ground malfunctioned at 18:00hrs with the score on 42-3.
After an early Tea was taken, Jaguars lost Barnwell, just when he was look set for a good score he was trapped on the crease and was LBW St Clair after making a 27-ball 20 with three fours at 42-4.
Singh continued to well before, when on 17 with three fours, the little left-hander and Bramble took the score to 87 with 45 run stand before Singh was LBW to Smith. Reifer got a short lifting delivery from the pacey Smith and was taken at second slip for a second ball duck to leave the wounded Jaguars on 87-6.

Rutherford pounded two ferocious boundaries in his 11 but then played a nonsensical shot and skied the ball ‘miles’ into the air for the Keeper Ramdin to run back to hold the offering at short fine leg at 103-7, still 17 away from the Red Force score
Bramble, with two centuries in the early part of this season, fought fire with fire and soon reached his fifty from 50 balls, 77 minutes with seven fours and a six and along with Shepherd, who has two fifties for the season, conspired to once again lift the Jaguars out of a precarious position.
But with the score on and the partnership worth 40, Shepherd was LBW for 18 at 143-8 before Bramble was bowled off the inside edge by Phillip at 159-9. Khan then trapped Permaul (5) to end the innings. Today is the second day and play starts 14:00hrs.
In other scores: Jamaica Scorpions, sent in by Barbados Pride, reached 218 for seven at the close on the opening day of their final round match at Sabina Park here yesterday. Scores: Scorpions 218 for seven (Nkrumah Bonner 97, Paul Palmer 66; Marquino Mindley 3-36) vs Pride.
And Leeward Islands Hurricanes, replying to Windward Islands Volcanoes’ 200 all out, reached 132 for four on the opening day of their final round match at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium here yesterday.
Scores: Volcanoes 200 (Sunil Ambris 92, Kimani Melius 29, Dennis Smith 27; Sheno Berridge 4-34, Alzarri Joseph 3-36). Hurricanes 132 for four (Devon Thomas 63 not out; Alick Athanaze 2-16).

---

---