Ordinary Guyana batting give Windwards upper hand

Jan 10, 2009 Sports

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Despite fighting 50 from Skipper Dowlin

By Sean Devers in Grenada
In association with Mike’s Pharmacy
& Trophy Stall

The Windward Islands capitalized on senseless shot selection from the Guyanese to take the upper hand on the opening day of their first round West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional four-day first-class cricket encounter at the National Stadium here yesterday despite a resolute half-century from Skipper Travis Dowlin.
Replying to Guyana’s paltry 172, the hosts reached 20 without loss by the close with Test left-hander Devon Smith on 11 and Miles Bascombe on seven and their team needing another 153 runs for first innings points.
Smith was bowled by a Brandon Bess no-ball after smashing the first ball from Bess to the mid-wicket boundary as he strangely looked to be ultra aggressive as his team had to bat eight overs yesterday afternoon, while Bascombe was miss-stumped off leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo in the day’s final over.
Dowlin stroked seven fours in his 146-ball 50 which lasted 200 minutes and added 52 with Esuan Crandon (25) for the seventh wicket but none of the other batsmen passed 25 as off-spinner Shane Shillingford grabbed 4-43 and Test seamer Daren Sammy 2-19.
Invited to bat on a slow track, Guyana slipped to 4-1 in the first over when Krishna Arjune played an injudicious pull and skied a catch to short cover after pulling Neon Pascal through mid-on for four off the previous delivery.
Debutant Shemroy Barrington looked solid and got going with three tucks off his pads for twos as left-arm pacer Deighton Butler strayed into his pads.
West Indies ODI left-hander Leon Johnson was greeted with a bouncer from Pascal before being struck on his helmet when he ducked into another short ball from Pascal three overs later.  Johnson was then dropped at square-leg by Shane Shillingford on 11 at 26-1 as he flicked Pascal who bowled impressively.
Johnson and Barrington took the score to 49 in sultry conditions before a handful of fans saw Barrington (20) edge a good ball from Sammy to the keeper as the Windwards, the only traditional regional team without a first-class title, struck an important blow.
Johnson, who made 21 from 60 balls, was removed at 52-3 by Sammy whom many consider very unlucky not be in the West Indies team.
Narsingh Deonarine, hoping to regain his place in the regional team for the upcoming home series against England after playing four Tests, stroked Shillingford gloriously through wide-mid-on for four in the last over before lunch and was unbeaten on nine at the interval.
Dowlin was yet to score at lunch with Guyana, again short of turf practice ahead of a first-class season, on 62-2 from 26 overs.
After the interval, Guyana’s most experienced pair tried to consolidate their position on a sluggish outfield with a very high sand content and together they worked Guyana back into the game with sensible batting.
Dowlin caressed Butler for two exquisite cover driven boundaries in one over after lunch and then, with elegant ease, used his feet and drilled Shillingford to the extra cover boundary as his confidence increased as his innings progressed.
Deonarine spanked leg-spinner Rawle Lewis through the covers for four but just when the partnership of 47 was beginning to look ominous, Deonarine was caught behind with a ball that bounced and turned ‘square’ to hit the glove and leave Guyana on 99-4.
If both Arjune and Johnson were guilty of giving their wickets away, Deonarine could not be faulted in this regard after making 25 from 68 balls.
Royston Crandon, who made a debut regional one-day hundred when he last played in Grenada two years ago, joined Dowlin and together they took the visitors to 107 before Crandon was bowled by Shillingford for six in schoolboy fashion.
After driving the off-spinner for four, Crandon opted to go back and ‘open up’ against a ball which turned prodigiously from way outside off stump and was bowled leg stump.
Derwin Christian, showing total disregard for Guyana’s position, swiped at the third ball he faced and was caught off Shillingford at mid-on for a duck as two wickets tumbled at 107.
Dowlin, in danger of running out of partners, tried to ‘up the tempo’ as Shillingford and Lewis operated in tandem with a cluster of fielders huddled around the bat.
Beaten several times pushing forward to big turning off-breaks, Crandon offered excellent support to Dowlin who looked to capitalize on anything loose and by tea the pair had added 21 runs as Guyana reached 128-6 with Dowlin on 39 and Crandon on six.
After the break, Guyana, who left out Steven Jacobs and Chris Barnwell from their final eleven, progressed to 159 before the fighting 52-run stand was broken when Dowlin played back to a flipper from Lewis and was leg before.
Once Esuan Crandon (25) top edged a pull at Mervin Matthew and was caught behind, Bishoo (11) was run out and Bess was sent packing by Shillingford as Guyana lost their last three wickets for no run.
Meanwhile in other scores; Leewards playing against Jamaica were 235 for 6 at stumps.  Omari Banks was not out 75* and Wilden Cornwall 16*, the batsmen at the wicket. Richards Jr made 49 and Powell 31.
In the Barbados vs. T&T encounter; T&T were 182 for 5 at the close.  Darren Bravo was not out 59* and Gibran Mohammed 0*, Darren Ganga had departed for 56.   Kemar Roach picked up 2 wickets.

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