Guyana beat Barbados by 55 runs to top zone ‘A’

Oct 24, 2011 Sports

---

By Sean Devers in Berbice
On a day blessed with glorious sunshine, a large crowd at Blairmont saw Guyana beat Barbados by 55 runs yesterday in their final preliminary round Regional Super50 cricket match to top zone ‘A’ and advance to the first semi-final on Wednesday at Providence.

Guyana, who will know their semi-final opponent today after the completion of the Jamaica/ Trinidad and Tobago game at Everest, struggled to score freely on a slow track and reached 226-9 off their 50 overs with Leon Johnson leading the way with 62 from 102 balls.
Barbados were never in the fight once they lost Dale Richards (6) to off-spinner Steven Jacobs at 8-1 in the third over and were dismissed for 171 despite a fighting 113-ball 66 from ‘Keeper Patrick Browne who was last out after coming in at number seven in the order.
West Indies t20 player Chris Barnwell followed up his 33-ball 37 with five fours and a six, with 4-43 with his medium pace to take the Man-of-the-match award and help knock Barbados, the defending joint champions, out of the competition.
Guyana moved to 10 points while Barbados remained on four even as the Sagicor HPC side beat the Windward Islands at Everest yesterday to finish second in zone ‘A’ with eight points and a place against Jamaica in the second semi-final on Thursday.
Former West Indies under-19 opener Trevon Griffith has been in fine form leading up to this competition but again failed to get going yesterday when he was removed by Tino Best for six to leave Guyana on 7-1 in the third over.
Johnson, one of the more fluent batsmen in the Region, joined Skipper Assad Fudadin and they took their team to 46 before Fudadin (13) fell to Bajan Skipper Kenroy Williams, while Travis Dowlin (9) was soon caught and bowled by lanky left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn as the hosts slipped to 67-3 in the 19th over as the Bajan spinners made free scoring a problem.
Benn put a damper on the festive mood of the colourful, flag-waving crowd when he bowled Berbician Royston Crandon (13) at 93-4.
Despite all his obvious talent the 24-year-old Johnson had scored just a single fifty at this level since his debut against T&T in 2007 with his often ill-advised sweep shot on many occasions helping to orchestrate his own demise.

Yesterday the GCC left-hander batted with the refreshing maturity which he has shown in recent times and held the middle order together with sensible stroke play on a joy of a pitch for spin bowlers before the dreaded sweep again caused his downfall to leave Guyana on 127-5 as a catch to short fine-leg off left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds ended a most promising innings from a most promising batsman.
Jacobs, an excellent utility player in limited overs cricket contributed a valuable 38 with three fours and a six from 49 balls after initially struggling to get the ball away as Benn bowled at full length and Hinds teased the batsmen with lots of flight and clever variation.
But once Hinds removed Barnwell who pulled Williams to post to 150 in the 37th over and celebrated with a six next ball at 160-6 and pacer Jevon Searles had Jacobs, who clobbered Benn for a six and a four off successive balls at 199-7, the anticipated fireworks from Jonathon Foo (16) never materialized despite a huge six off Hinds.
Foo, in only his second match at this level, grabbed headlines for his t20 exploits in last year’s Caribbean t20 competition which Guyana won but has flattered to deceive for Guyana since then and his place in the team could be in jeopardy, heading into the ‘final four’ under lights.
Derwin Christian (11) also failed to produce the big hits towards the end of the innings and was taken at cover by Searles who had dismissed Jacobs and Foo off consecutive deliveries.
Steven Latcha hit two fours in his unbeaten 10 and Paul Wintz was two not out they ensured Guyana were not bowled out. Searles had 3-21 while Benn (2-31) and Hinds (2-51) were the two bowlers who delivered 12 overs for Barbados, who tied with the Leewards in last year’s final in Jamaica.
The Bajans, who have appeared in more finals (17) than any other team but have five titles to show for their efforts, looked an ordinary batting side once the experienced Hinds (7) skied medium pacer Wintz to mid-off at 18-2.
When Jonathon Carter played no shot to Wintz and was leg before for a duck next ball the fans were dancing in the stands.
Without Kirk Edwards due to West Indies duties, Dwayne Smith’s experience in the middle order and big hitting ability was crucial to the Barbados cause, but yesterday he just managed three before his stumps were scattered by Barnwell and at 47-5 early flight arrangements out of Guyana for the Bajans could have already begun.
New West Indies player Carlos Braithwaite (25) showed some fight towards the end and Browne batted really well but they got no support as Barnwell cleaned up Braithwaite and Benn in the space of 15 runs to leave the score on 166-9 and ensure there was no lower order recovery after Browne and Braithwaite had added 61 for the eighth wicket.
Jacobs was forced to leave the field due to a headache after taking 1-23 from six overs with the new ball but Johnson produced a few good overs of spin as did Crandon while the inexperienced Latcha bowled with control.
Fudadin also supported Wintz and Barnwell with steady medium pace and although the Guyanese ‘slacked up’ a bit with victory all but assured with some lose work in the field, it was a good performance heading into their second consecutive semi-final on home soil after failing to reach the ‘final four’ last year in Jamaica.
Today Daren Ganga’s T&T face-off with Chris Gayle’s Jamaicans at Everest in what could be a mega clash while CCC play the struggling Leewards in the other final preliminary round contest today at Providence.

---

---