Guyana claim 1st innings points

Feb 06, 2011 Sports

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

Useful contributions from Guyana’s lower order helped them to a 33-run first innings lead against defending Champions Jamaica on the second day of their opening round Regional Four-Day cricket match at the Alpart ground here yesterday.
Derwin Christian hit five fours and a six in a 56-ball 39 from 72-minutes while Veerasammy Permaul (27), Skipper Assad Fudadin (23), Leon Johnson (22) and Rajendra Chandrika (21) got starts as Guyana fell for 183 replying to Jamaica’s first innings 150.
Off-spinner Tamar Lambert took 2-7, leg-spinner Odean Browne 3-54 and pacer Jerome Taylor 2-38 for the hosts, who reached 128-2 in their second innings, enjoying a lead of 95 runs going into the penultimate day today.
Elegant thirty-year-old former West Indies right-hander Marlon Samuels, whose last First-Class game was against T&T in April 2008, played an array of audacious shots and looked extremely focused in the middle.
Samuels, who faced 98 balls, batted for 138 minutes and hit five fours and a six, added 88 runs in a second wicket stand with debutant Simon Jackson who hit six fours in his 107-ball 49 from 143 minutes to lead the Jamaica fight-back.
Jamaica began their second innings in overcast conditions and reached 17-0 off six overs by Tea after Veerasammy and Bishoo had frustrated their bowlers with a 28-run ninth wicket partnership after joining forces with their team 3 runs away from first innings points.
Esuan Crandon struck in the first over after Tea when Danza Hyatt (17) was taken at short-leg at 19-1.  From the moment he arrived at the crease Samuels looked a class-act. Two off-side boundaries off Esuan Crandon were absolutely breathtaking while his focus in the middle was something many times missing before his two-year ban which began in 2008.
A nonchalant six off Permaul scattered the good-size crowd over mid-wicket while on a track which has lost its liveliness, Jackson looked a lot more positive than he did in the first innings.
After Jackson was bowled by Bishoo at 107-2, Samuels reached his fifty and along with Brendon Nash (5) saw Jamaica to the close in fading light.

Earlier, watched by a good crowd, Guyana began the day on 32-1 with Chandrika on 13 and Johnson on five and the pair batted carefully before Chandrika drove a slower ball from Taylor to cover 20 minutes before Lunch as Guyana slipped to 49-2. His 21 lasted 94 minutes, 50balls and included 2 fours.
Johnson, content to leave the ‘off-target’ balls early in the day and along with Fudadin batted sensibly against testing fast bowling on a track already showing signs of variable bounce.
Johnson, with an ODI fifty under his belt, cut Danza Hyatt gloriously to the backward point boundary but like fellow left-hander Fudadin, it was evident that that main objective was to occupy the crease.
With the score on 75, Browne had Johnson, who faced 72 balls, batted for 107 minutes and hit 4 fours in his 22, caught at short-leg while a run later Vishaul Singh (0) played no shot to debutant left-arm pacer Sheldon Cotterrell and had his off-stump spectacularly knocked out.
Royston Crandon (4) almost had his head knocked off by a quick bouncer from the powerful Cotterrell before playing across to Browne and being trapped LBW as the Guyanese slumped to 80-5.
Christian’s only First-Class century was against Jamaica two years ago at Providence and he took the attack to Browne with a straight six and a four over mid-wicket in the same over.     Christian back-cut Dave Bernard and then lofted him over cover for consecutive boundaries before an impetuous top-edged hook in the same over was floored by the usually reliable Nash at gully with the Guyanese Keeper on 22 and his team 106-5.
Fudadin played the supporting role in the 46-run partnership with Christian before he ‘padded up’ to the final ball before lunch and seemed unlucky to be given LBW to Lambert at 129-6; leaving Christian unbeaten on 30 and Guyana 21 away from first innings points.
In the second over after the interval Esuan Crandon (1) was leg before to Browne at 132-7 while Veerasammy Permaul got going with a swept boundary off Lambert and Christian hammered Browne to the point boundary.
With first innings three runs away and Christian 11 away from his 3rd fifty at this level, the DCC right-hander pulled at Taylor and was taken down the leg side at 148-8.
Both Permaul and Davendra Bishoo increased the lead with positive batting before Bishoo, who hit three fours in 15 and Permaul whose 27 included three boundaries, were both removed by Lambert.

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