Foo’s maiden fifty fails to save Guyana from 9-wkt defeat

Jul 16, 2009 Sports

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By Sean Devers in Jamaica In Association with Digicel, TCL,Western Union, GSL, Pepsi,Demerara Power Company, Smalta & Jamaica Pegasus

A maiden fifty from Jonathan Foo failed to save Guyana from a 9-wicket defeat against host Jamaica at Sabina Park yesterday in the second round of the TCL Group regional Under-19 3-day cricket competition.
Foo hit 4 fours and 3 sixes in his 124-ball and 156-minute innings and got support from Skipper Anthony Bramble (39) and Ronsford Beaton (20) as Guyana fell for 210 at Tea from an overnight position of 98-4. John Campbell then slammed 4 fours in an unbeaten 42 from 63 balls as Jamaica, set 79 to win in the final session reached 82-1 with 6 of the mandatory 15 overs left to be bowled to give Jamaica, who lost to Trinidad and Tobago in the first round, an emphatic win which take them to 12 points.
Guyana’s loss left them on 4 points after they lost to the Leeward Islands in the opening round after taking first innings points.
The 18 year old Foo resumed the day on 36 and continued to bat positively after losing his overnight partner Alex Amsterdam (5) at 100-5 and Vice Captain Royston Alkins (2) who seemed very unlucky to be given LBW off pacer Nicholson Gordon at 115-6.
Bramble batted responsibly on a slow track with some bounce before Foo, who hit another towering six off Gordon yesterday, lost his wicket when he was caught and bowled by left-arm pacer Romeo Dunka top-edging an ill-controlled hook to leave Guyana on 127-7.

By Lunch the Guyanese, who have won the title more than any other team (12 times), were 155-7 with a lead of just 23 runs and a lot depended on Bramble (19) and Totaram Bishun (8) if they were to save the match.
The pair batted resolutely as the spinners, particularly leg-spinner and Man-of-the-Match Akeem Dewar extracted prodigious bounce and turn from the last day track in sultry conditions.
Bramble’s defiant 39 from 110 balls and 130 minutes ended when he was stupendously caught at short-leg, left-handed by Jermaine Blackwood as he pushed forward to part-time off-spinner Campbell.
Bramble’s demise left the score on 183-8 and ended a dogged 56-run partnership with Bishun who showed the type of commitment and determination lacking among most of the top order batsmen.
By the time Bishun, who made 30 in the last match as Night Watchman, edged a ball which bounced and turned ‘square’ from left-arm spinner Patrick Harty, he had occupied the crease for 170 minutes and faced 163 balls for his 16 and Guyana were in a deep hole at 201-9.

Beaton hung around for a bit in his undefeated 20 before he refused a call for an easy single and Seon Daniels (4) was run out by the length of the pitch as the Guyana innings ended at Tea.
Gordon picked up 3-60 while Dewar, who made 70 not out on Tuesday, took 2-46. Dunka (2-44) also bowled well for Jamaica who began their run-chase in a positive fashion with Brian Clarke hitting 2 boundaries in the first 2 overs as Guyana went on the defensive from the first ball.
Clarke gloved a hook at a lively bouncer from the impressive Daniels to the keeper at 45-1, but the small target was always going to be almost impossible to defend and despite their one-day style cricket, Guyana crashed to defeat when Campbell smashed Alkins back over his head for four at 16:30hrs local time. Skipper Paul Palmer was the other unbeaten batsman on 13.

Guyana Coach Hubern Evans said he was disappointed with the top order batting and said that apart from Griffith, who is the tournament’s leading scorer with 218 runs, the batsmen lack consistency.
“Griffith, whom I think should have gotten another big score after reaching 48, and Foo who displayed why he is regarded so highly back home with a top-class 50, batted well but apart from Bramble and Bishun at the bottom there was no real support. We have to bat as a unit and be consistent if we hope to stay in the race for the title,” Evans said.
The Coach said that the pressure is now to win their last three matches including those against two of the stronger teams in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados and hopes that the senior batsmen like Jeetendra Sookdeo, Seon Hetmyer and Alkins get big scores in the rest of the competition.
He added that while the spin department is not the strongest in recent times, the bowlers have generally been doing their job.

Guyana play the Windwards in their next match from tomorrow at Sabina Park and will have a practice session today at 14:00hrs.
Fast bowler Keon Joseph is recovering from a groin injury and is expected to have medical evaluation today and possibly a fitness test this afternoon.
According to Manager Alvin Johnson if Joseph, the team’s quickest bowler, is ruled out of the competition he could return home this weekend and a replacement sent to Jamaica.
Coach Evans again called on the WICB to review the issue of having just one rest day in between matches this year after 2 days of rest were allocated last year in Barbados. It is extremely tough here and many of he players are already complaining of fatigue after having the play 3 days of cricket and then practice before going into action again the next day.

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