WICB Four-Day Franchise Cricket …Singh’s responsible 115 give Jaguars 1st innings lead

Dec 07, 2014 Sports

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Reifer (58), Chandrika (60) also hit fifties  

By Sean Devers in Trinidad
In association with Noble House Seafoods,
Payless Variety Store, Star Party Rentals &
Cascadia Hotel

Guyana Jaguars Skipper Vishaul Singh led from the front with a responsible undefeated

maiden century to put his team in the driver’s seat at the end of day two of their fourth round WICB First-Class Four-Day Cricket Franchise against Trinidad & Tobago’s Red Force at the Queens Park Oval yesterday.
The 25-year-old Singh, in only his second game as Captain provided a wonderful exhibition of batsmanship in his well compiled 115 which lasted 239 minutes, 175 balls and included 15 fours to join Narsingh Deonarine as the Guyanese with centuries this season and the sixth overall.
Opener Rajendra Chandrika stroked a classy 60 from 167 minutes, 117 balls with eight fours and a six, while Bajan Raymond Reifer, who added 146 for the fifth wicket with the level-headed Singh, contributed 58 from 167 minutes, 196 balls with seven fours as the Jaguars, replying to the Red Force’s 198, reached 300-5 by the close yesterday, enjoying a lead of 102.
The Jaguars resumed on 27-1 in reply to the Red Force’s 198 with Chandrika on 11 and Shemron Hetymer on four and on another day blessed with glorious sunshine the pair batted enterprisingly and dominated the first hour’s played with delightful stroke play, much to the frustration of the Red Force bowlers and the handful of fans in the virtually empty stands.
The right-handed Chandrika stroked Rayed Emrit elegantly for four while Hetymer square-drove the Red Force skipper to the boundary before posting the Jaguars’ 50 in 83 minutes and 18.3 overs with a dismissive pull of left-arm pacer Daniel St Clair.
The 50 partnership was posted in 81 minutes as Hetymer pounced on Khan and cleared the ropes

with ease, while Chandrika danced into the leg-spinner and dumped him back over his head for six.
But with the stand on 71 the Red Force’s leading wicket-taker, leg-spinner Imran Khan breached Hetymer’s defence and the West Indies under-19 left-hander looked back in horror to see his wicket being rattled to leave his team on 84-2. His entertaining 31 lasted 97 minutes, 58 balls and was decorated with five fours and a six.
Deonarine, Guyana leading run scorer with 285 runs, joined the stylish Chandrika on a still good track to bat on in sultry conditions.
Deonarine began this season with back-to-back hundreds in his first two games but only managed 2 and duck in his last outing against Barbados when the Jaguars crashed to a two-run shock defeat chasing 69 to win.
Yesterday, on a lush green outfield, the Albion left-hander who in 2008 became first batsman to reach 1,000 runs in a single season, looked determined continue his dominance and got going with a flourishing back cut off Guyanese born pacer Marlon Richards which raced to boundary.
The 25-year-old Chandrika got to his third First-Class fifty with a neat on drive off Khan for two and he celebrated with a scorching four through wide mid wicket off Emrit. His half century took 143 minutes, 102 balls and included six fours and a six.
Just when he seemed set for his maiden ton, Chandrika was caught under the bat on the stroke of

Lunch with the Jaguars on 115-3 and Deonarine on 13.
After the interval Singh joined Deonarine and paddle swept Khan for four before Deonarine (21) was taken at short leg off Hosein after joining Devon Smith as the only batsmen with 300 runs to leave the Jaguars on 146-4.
Consecutive boundaries behind point by the diminutive Guyana Captain off St Clair were timed to perfection and both shots found the gap with surgical precision. Singh, mixing caution with aggression, picked the balls to hit and demonstrated immense concentration.
The little left-hander from GCC then gave Hosein the charge and deposited him over the head of mid-on for another boundary while Reifer, one of six left-handers in the Jaguars’ team, played a brutal cover drive off of Khan that reached the boundary like a bullet.
Singh, in his 15th First-Class game, worked the ball into the gaps with consummate ease and displayed plenty of common sense to reach his third fifty from 84 minutes, 68 balls with seven well placed boundaries.
Reifer was willing to take on the bowlers and when Khan ‘pulled one down’ the Bajan rocked and pulled it viciously for four to give the Jaguars first innings lead.
Singh, who led Demerara to the Inter-County title this year, grew in confidence as his innings progressed and showed excellent temperament and maturity at a time when these attributes are sadly lacking among the younger generation of West Indian batsmen.
By Tea the fifth wicket pair had extended their partnership to 72 from 84 minutes although Reifer played a few impetuous shots, Singh continued to bat responsibly and took advantage of almost every loose delivery; pulling Hosein for four just before the break.  At Tea Guyana were 218-4 with Singh on 68 and Reifer on 27.
After Tea, Reifer blasted consecutive fours off leg-spinner Yannic Cariah for successive fours while Singh soon passed his previous highest score of 73 before rain stopped play at 237-4 at 15:40hrs even though the sun was shining brightly over Port-of-Spain resulting in 15 minutes being lost.
Singh delicately steered Richards for four to move into the 80s before cutting the pacer for another boundary in the same over, while 23-year-old Reifer got to his seventh fifty with a thumping shot for four off Khan. A boundary took Singh into the 90s and he reached a well deserved ton just before the close from 161 balls, 216 minutes with 13 fours. Reifer was bowled by St Clair at 292 in the penultimate over of the day to bring night watchman Devendra Bishoo to the crease.
Today is the third day and play is scheduled to commence at 10:00hrs.

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