SIMMONS TON SPURS T&T TO 306-7 AGAINST GUYANA IN ANTIGUA

Jan 16, 2010 Sports

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On 1st day of historic Day/Night regional cricket match

By Sean Devers in Antigua In association with
Leisure Inn, Carib Beer, Tower Hotel & Raphael’s Reality

West Indies player Lendl Simmons hit an attractive 107 and shared in a century 3rd wicket partnership with Jason Mohamed who made 87 with 10 fours and a six as Trinidad and Tobago batted all yesterday against Guyana on the opening day of the historic inaugural regional First Class Day/Night cricket match here at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Simmons stroked 15 fours and a six in his 155 ball innings as T&T reached 306-7 by the close under flood lights against the pink ball.
The less than 100 fans that turned up to witness the first time ever first class cricket being played under lights must be a major disappointment for the WICB since they have stated that holding day/night matches was to improve the crowd turn out at regional games.
To have such a small crowd for a Guyana match on this 108-square-mile Island where over 10,000 Guyanese reside means that much more has to be done with the WICB marketing strategy for these games.
T&T won the toss and elected to bat on a straw-colored track with not much pace and bounced and progressed to 30 as Simmons and Justin Guillien gave their team a useful start in sweltering heat.
Brendon Bess again showed he has genuine pace and hustled Guillien into a top-edged hook over the keeper’s head for four early in his innings after hitting the first ball of the match from Esuan Crandon for four.
Bess, who bowled with good control, soon induced the left-handed Guillien (18) to sky a catch to point where Davendra Bishoo held on at the 2nd attempt to leave T&T on 30-1.
Skipper Darren Ganga, who made 44 and 8 in his team’s upset 150-run first round defeat against CCC in Jamaica, joined Simmons but did not last long and was well caught low down the leg side by Derwin Christian off Crandon for 2 to leave the score on 39-2.
Jason Mohamed and Simmons repaired the early damage with sensible batting on the lush green outfield with both batsmen willing to use their feet to the spin of left-armer Veerasammy Permaul and off-spinner Narsingh Deonarine after the new ball pair of Bess and Crandon had bowled unchanged for just over an hour.
Simmons dispatched Permaul onto the sight screen and then cut him gloriously behind point for 4 as he bowled too short on a track with little turn.
Mohamed also played his shots and when Simmons clobbered Deonarine for a huge six to reach his 16th First-Class fifty, the T&T side were in total control just before lunch as they maintained a run rate of just above 4 per over.
The T&T 3rd wicket pair upped the tempo with an array of audacious shots on an outfield which looked very good at a venue where its maiden Test match was abandoned due to unsuitable ground conditions last year.
By lunch Simmons was unbeaten on 73 and Mohamed on 39 as their partnership had progressed to 94 by the interval.
A small working day crowd, which built up nicely during the final session, saw Simmons soon tuck Crandon to mid wicket for 2 to post his 8th First-Class ton from 135 balls with 15 fours and a six. Mohamed offered solid support as the spinners struggled for penetration before he was forced to retire hurt on 62 with the score on 185-2 after being struck on his hand by Crandon.
Just when he was beginning to look ominous, Simmons, who will be 25 this month, gave his wicket away with a premeditated paddle sweep at Deonarine which lobbed to leg slip at 203-3. Sherwin Ganga and Denesh Ramdin saw the score to 216-3 by Tea, as lights were turned on for the first time in a Regional First-Class encounter.
Guyana struck just after tea when Sherwin Ganga (17) leg before to Permaul for 17 at 231-4 and then Mohamed who returned, was taken at extra cover by Dowlin off Bishoo for 87 at 252-5 after hitting Permaul, who was far from his best yesterday, for a six and a four off successive balls.
Imran Khan (5) was soon caught behind off Bishoo who got some late evening bounce and turn with the pink ball as T&T slipped to 264-6.
Ramdin played well within himself and added 38 for the 7th wicket with Rayad Emrit (17) before Emrit was bowled by Permaul just before the close at 302-7.
Ramdin, unbeaten on 43 and Dave Mohamed (0) will hope to give their team more runs this morning as T&T look to rebound from their upset first round loss to CCC against a team which finished ‘dead last’ last year.
Permaul has so far taken 2-78 and Bishoo 2-82 for the Guyanese who left out an injured Royston Crandon and Trevor Benn.
The players from both sides wore black arm bands as a mark of respect for former Leeward Islands player Hayden Walsh who drowned in a Hotel pool here this week at age 46.
A minutes’ silence was also observed for the victims in the Earthquake-hit Caribbean Island of Haiti.
Today is the 2nd day and play is scheduled to start at 13:00hrs
Meanwhile, in scores from the other two matches:
Jamaica closed on 39-2 replying to the Leewards first innings score of 188.
Scores: Jamaica 39-2 (Pagon and Powell are the not out batsmen, Marshall 6, Findlay 11)
Leewards 188 (Morton 60, Thomas 52 – Wkts: Brown 2 Bernard 3)
Leewards won the Toss and elected to Bat
Barbados reached 33-1 at the close replying to the Combined Campuses 213.
Scores: Barbados 33/1 (Haynes 9*Charles 0* Richards c Walton b McClean 22)
Combined Campuses 213 (Currency 45*, Parris 49 – Wkts: Collins 1, Charles 4, Roach1, Hinds 3, Best 1)

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