Leewards bt Guyana by 25 runs

Jul 31, 2009 Sports

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Despite century partnership from Amsterdam & Hetmyer

By Sean Devers in
Jamaica. In association
with Digicel, TCL,
Western Union,
Pepsi, Smalta &
Demerara Power Company

On another sweltering hot day here, Shayne Burton (84) and Nelson Bolan (4-30) yesterday led the Leewards to a 25-run win against Guyana at Chedwin Park in the opening round of the TCL Group Regional One-Day under-19 cricket tournament.
This was despite a century (106) 6th wicket partnership between Alex Amsterdam (55) and Seon Hetmyer (37) and on-target bowling by the Guyanese on a flat track and parched and fast outfield.
Chasing the 197-9 off 50 overs made by the Leewards, Guyana were bowled out for 172 in 44.4 overs.
Guyana, who left out Totaram Bishun, Herrell Greene and Ronsford Beaton from their starting line-up, elected to bowl first and quickly had the Islanders on 43-3 in 11 overs as left-arm pacer Andrew Stoll, who bowled gun-barrel straight just short of a good length in his unchanged 10-over spell with the new ball kept the shackles on the top order during the first 15 ‘Power-play’ overs.
Stoll induced Skipper Kejel Tyson (8) to pull a catch to short mid-wicket at 17-1 in the 4th over and comprehensively bowled Tashmail Mills (12) 4 overs later at 33-2 before his new ball partner Keon Joseph who bowled with plenty of pace, sent the middle stump of Shernyl Burns (1) cart-wheeling as Guyana took the ascendancy.
Guyanese-born left-hander Yannick Leonard was the silent partner in a fighting 62-run 4th wicket stand although the Leewards were never allowed to score freely at any stage in their innings.
While Leonard (who captained DCC at the under-15 level before moving to Anguilla) batted in Brendon Nash fashion and struggled to get the ball away in his painstaking 8 from 48 balls, his support to Burton, who played some delightful shots in his top score of 84, was critical to the Leeward’s eventual total.
Dropped by Jonathon Foo at slip off Amsterdam’s steady off-spin on 6 at 79-3, Leonard fell to a tame push to point as the partnership was broken by Amsterdam (10-2-30-2) at 105-4 in the 25th over.
Burton, later named Man-of-the Match, batted sensibly and lofted Amsterdam for his only six after clipping Stoll off his leg for his 6th boundary to post his 50 before throwing his wicket away when 16 short of a ton.
Burton, who went after Joseph; smashing him for 2 off-side fours in the 7th over, played an impetuous swipe at Adams (10-2-26-2) and top-edged a catch to the keeper in the 34th over at 128-6 after hitting 10 boundaries in his 103-ball innings and his demise was mainly due to him being pinned down by the Guyanese spinners in the middle overs.
While Burton looked organised, nobody else passed 17 and it was only due to loose out-cricket in the last 10 overs and a cameo 17 from the burly Rakeem Cornwall and unbeaten innings of 16 and 15 respectively from Tevin Osbourne and Quinton Boatswain that pushed the Leewards close to 200.
Joseph, who conceded 19 runs in his last 3 overs when he retuned for a 2nd spell, removed the potentially dangerous Cornwall at 149-7 to finish with 2-55 from 10 overs while 2 quick wickets from Adams and Jeetendra Sookdeo (1-14 from 4 overs) left the score on 170-9 before the last pair added 29, the last 5 overs yielding 26 runs.
Although medium pacer Seon Daniels conceded 13 in his first over, he only gave away 12 in his next 3 when he  returned for a 2nd spell at the ‘death’ and overall the Guyanese would have been satisfied with their performance in the field.
The Guyana run-chase began in horrendous fashion when Skipper Anthony Bramble had his off-stump plucked out by the impressive Bolan in the first over and Trevon Griffith, who a contingent of Jamaicans turned up to see bat, ran himself out for 3 in the 2nd over to leave Guyana on the ropes at 7-2 in 2 overs.
More trouble was to follow as the Guyanese looked very timid against the new ball hunting a required run-rate of under 4 runs per over to win.
Vice-Captain Royston Alkins, whose body language suggested that he was not fully ‘into the game’ yesterday, played around a ball from Bolan which cannoned into his off-stump at 25-3 while Foo, who continues to frustrate his fans with reckless shot selection, walked across his wicket and virtually played no shot to a ball which cut back from Boatswain to be LBW for 2 form 15 and leave the score on 36-4 in the 12th over.
Sookdeo (19 from 34 balls) nonchalantly steered a short and wide ball from Bolan to the keeper as Guyana wobbled to 36-5 in 13 overs prompting thoughts of an early day.
However, Amsterdam, one of the ‘finds’ for Guyana in the competition with his level-headed approach to batting and his uncomplicated but on-target off-spin was joined by Hetmyer to bring Guyana back into the fray until they were removed in the space of 9 runs, Guyana slipping to 151-7 with 10 overs left in the contest.
The left-handed Amsterdam drove handsomely and was not afraid to go over the top to the spinners while Hetmyer used his feet nicely to the spin as they partnership kept Guyanese victory hopes alive.
Hayden Walsh Junior’s big-turning leg-breaks accounted for both batsmen. Hetmyer pushed forward to a perfect leg-break and was caught behind before Amsterdam tucked a catch to short mid-wicket.
Amsterdam’s 55 lasted 80 balls and included 4 fours while Hetmyer’s 37 came from 77 balls and had just a solitary boundary.
Joseph (9) seemed unfortunate to be given run out at 169-8 while Stoll (suffering from cramps after his 10 overs on the trot) played back to a ball which spun ‘a mile’ from Walsh and was LBW without adding to the score before the game ended when Bolan (who retuned to bowl his 10th over) scattered Daniels’ (0) stumps.
Bolan (9.4-2-30-4) was the pick of the bowlers while Walsh (6-0-31-3) supported well.
The players will have a break today before the 2nd round commences tomorrow. Guyana face the Windwards at the Police ground in Kingston and the Leewards come up against Barbados at Jamalco in rural Jamaica.
Guyana Coach Hubern Evans said he was very disappointed with the batting, lamenting that again his team is not getting enough good starts.

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