Guyana hunt first win against Jamaica since 2006

Feb 04, 2011 Sports

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Young guns ready to fire against defending Champs today

By Sean Devers in Jamaica
In Association with
Western Union &
Jamaica Pegasus

Since Clement King took 5-59 in then British Guiana’s inaugural First-Class match against Jamaica at Bourda in 1896, the South Americans have only managed 7 wins while losing 15 times in 50 matches at this level between the two teams.
Jamaica’s dominance has been even more emphatic in recent times. The lads from the Caribbean’s largest English-speaking Island won four of their last five matches against Guyana since their last defeat against the Guyanese; a 51-run loss at Chedwin Park in 2006.
In 2009 at Providence, Derwin Christian’s maiden century (113) helped Guyana to a draw but they lost by 139 runs later that year in Jamaica and were beaten by seven wickets in 2007 and eight wickets in 2008, both times in Jamaica.
Last year in Barbados, centuries from Wavell Hinds and Carlton Baugh revived Jamaica from 81-4 to 429 and a massive innings and 27-run win against Guyana although Veerasammy Permaul had 5-91 and Brandon Bess 4-107.
Led by a terrifying 7-24 from Patrick Patterson at Sabina Park in 1986, Jamaica routed Guyana for 41, the lowest total ever recorded in Regional First-Class cricket and only last month dismissed Guyana for the lowest Total (65) ever made in a Regional T20 match.
Statistically, Guyana,  without a First-Class title since 1998, begin their 2011 Regional Four-Day campaign against the defending champions today at the Alpart ground in rural Jamaica as underdogs.
Without premier batsmen Shiv Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan and three others (Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin and Sewnarine Chattergoon) who recently played Test cricket, the Guyanese could expect a tough examination from a Jamaica attack led by Test pacer Jerome Taylor, eager to show his form and fitness ahead of the mid-year West Indies home series against Pakistan and India.  But under new Skipper Assad Fudadin and new Coach Mark Harper, the young guns are anxious to fire.
At 29, Esuan Crandon is the oldest member of the team which includes two former West Indies under-19 Captains (Leon Johnson & Steven Jacobs) and two bowlers with genuine pace in 23-year-old Bess, who played his solitary Test against South Africa last year and 18-year-old Essequibian Ronsford Beaton, the only player without First-Class experience in the squad.
Rajendra Chandrika gets a chance to show what he has learnt at the HPC in Barbados while Shemroy Barrington returns to the opening position after an outstanding Inter-County series.
After playing 3 ODIs in 2008, the left-handed Johnson lost form, confidence and his place in the National team but still just 23, he is arguably the team’s most naturally talented batsman and Harper, who replaces Ravindra Seeram as Coach, expects a lot from him this season.
Royston Crandon is another batsman with West Indies ODI experience while the diminutive 22-year-old Vishaul Singh who played 2 of his 3 First-Class matches last year and 22-year-old Jacobs, who played the first of his 8 First-Class matches 5 years ago, are capable of producing with the bat.
Christian is still the best Keeper in Guyana but this season could be his final chance to prove his batting ability, which produced a ton in the only game Guyana has not lost to Jamaica since 2006.
On a track that should produce bounce, the spin pair of Davindra Bishoo and Permaul, who had a 5-wicket haul in a One-Day game when Guyana last played at this ground in 2006, should cause the Jamaicans problems.
In the absence of Chris Gayle, Carlton Baugh, Nikita Miller and Andre Russell, burly Tamar Lambert, who scored a ton against Guyana in 2007, is Jamaica’s Skipper while Wavell Hinds, David Bernard, Brendan Nash, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels and Keeper Chadwick Walton (making his Jamaica debut) have all played Test cricket.
At 29, pacer Andre Richardson is preferred to the much younger former West Indies under-19 pacer Jason Dawes and left-armer Krishmar Santokie who seems to be considered a limited overs specialist. Powerful debutant Sheldon Cotterrell has been included after bowling fast in last month’s Caribbean T20 tournament.
Odean Browne could do the bulk of the bowling in Miller’s absence while Danza Hyatt and first-timers Bevon Browne and Simon Jackson love to play shots.
Although Nash could prove difficult to dislodge, 30-year-old Samuels, in his first First-Class match since April 2008, could be Guyana’s biggest threat as he aims to resurrect his Test career, interrupted by a 2-year ban for match-fixing.
Partly cloudy conditions are expected today and the match is scheduled to commence at 10:00hrs (11:00hrs Guyana time). The Umpires are Vivian Johnson and Clancy Mack.
Leeward Islands play England Lions in St Kitts, Trinidad & Tobago face Barbados in Trinidad and CCC oppose Windward Islands in Barbados in the other first round games today.
Teams :Guyana:- Assad Fudadin (Capt), Rajendra Chandrika, Shemroy Barrington, Leon Johnson, Steven Jacobs, Vishaul Singh, Derwin Christian, Royston Crandon, Davendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Esuan Crandon, Brendon Bess, Ronsford Beaton.
Jamaica:-Tamar Lambert (Capt), David Bernard, Bevon Brown, Odean Brown, Sheldon Cotterrell, Wavell Hinds, Danza Hyatt, Simon Jackson, Brendan Nash , Andrew Richardson, Chadwick Walton (wk), Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor

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