PCL First-Class cricket…Jaguars extend unbeaten streak with 6-wkt win against Volcanoes

Feb 29, 2016 Sports

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By Sean Devers in St Lucia
In association with Tower Suites, Trophy Stall & Golden Arrow Inn

The Guyana Jaguars roared to a six-wicket in three days against the Windwards Volcanoes at the Beausejour Stadium yesterday in their eighth round PCL Four-Day First-Class cricket match to extend their unbeaten run to 15 matches. Set 39 to win after dismissing the Volcanoes for 161 in their second innings the Jaguars made target as hard as climbing Mount Roriama, Guyana’s highest Mountain.

The Jaguars lost Chanderpaul (1) and Rajendra Chandrika (3) to Kyle Mayers, while Shane Shillingford removed Assad Fudadin (9) and Anthony Bramble (0) as three wickets tumbled for no runs to leave the score on 13-4. When Skipper Leon Johnson (17*) and Vice-Captain Vishaul Singh (9*) joined forces, memories of the two-run loss in 2014 to Barbados at Providence were rekindled. Set 69 to win the Jaguars crashed to 66 all out. But yesterday the only batsmen with 600 runs in the tournament added 26 for the fifth wicket to see their team to 125 points.
Johnson (623) ended the game with a six off Shillingford, while Singh (633) was with him as the defending champions maintained their lead in tournament with two games to remaining. Devon Smith, who was eighth out, scored his second fifty of the match with a responsible 51 from 134 balls, 216 minutes with just two boundaries, while the last pair of Shillingford (26*) and Mervin Matthew (12) added 30 in 14 minutes as the home team, with a deficit of 122, could only manage 161.
Fast bowler Ronsford Beaton was again impressive and followed up his 5-43 in the first innings with 2-28, but the pick of the bowlers yesterday was 24-year-old left-arm pacer Raymon Reifer who captured a career best 4-35. Devendra Bishoo supported with 3-71 while left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul was unable to bowl due a cut on his right hand sustained while attempting a catch.
Scores: Volcanoes (216 & 161) Volcanoes (339 & 39-4).
It took the Volcanoes 34 minutes to wrap up the Jaguars’ innings after they began on 310-7 and lost Veerasammy Permaul (16) off the day’s first ball bowled by 30-year-old Matthew. Beaton fell for a duck in the same over without addition to the score. Reifer found a useful partner in Keon Joseph and they took the score to 338 before Joseph, who edged Kyle Mayers for consecutive fours, was taken at square-leg to give the Dominican his sixth scalp and leave Reifer unbeaten on 37 from 96 balls, 131 minutes with four fours. Matthew finished with 6-80, his fourth five-wicket haul.
When the Volcanoes began their second innings they quickly lost Tyrone Theophile (1) who fell to Beaton at 6-1 and Smith and Robinson, who added 120 between them in the first innings, were again asked to do the repair job. By Lunch the score was 31-1 with Smith unusually subdued, on 11 and Robinson, badly dropped by Keon Joseph at long-leg off Reifer, also on 11.
Watched by a handful of people which included West Indies selector Courtney Walsh, the Volcanoes quickly lost Robinson (17) when he played an irresponsible drive to a wide ball from Joseph and edged to the Keeper at 47-2. Dalton Polius pulled Bishoo for four while the rock solid Smith broke the shackles with an expansive cover drive off Joseph as conditions again became overcast.
When on 28 and the score on 62-2 Smith was dropped at short cover off Beaton, while off the same ball the Jaguars wasted an opportunity to run out Polius when Chanderpaul missed the wicket at the non-striker’s end. Smith slowly began to gain momentum and slapped Beaton for four, while Polius leaned into Beaton and caressed him for four before repeating the shot off Bishoo in the next over.
After being floored by a quick bouncer from Beaton, Polius pivoted on one leg and hooked the Essequibian to the square leg boundary. Polius (22) then gloved the lively Beaton, who bowled with a lot more energy than in previous spells, for Bramble to claim a brilliant caught down the leg-side. Sunil Ambris (4) threw his wicket away with a terrible shot off Bishoo as the Volcanoes slipped 100-4, still behind by 22 runs.
Smith, who has the most hundreds at Regional level, was still there but with wickets tumbling at the other end he was in danger of running out of partners. Kaveem Hodge scored a century in St Thomas in the last round but yesterday he seemed frustrated by the ‘wide of off stump’ line employed by Reifer who got one to jag back to bowl him for five.
Without addition to the score Liam Sebastien (0) was taken by Anthony Bramble off Reifer as the Volcanoes imploded to 107-6 and by Tea Smith was on 44 and Mayers on 8 with their team on 109-6, still 13 runs behind.
After Tea, Mayers (3) was LBW to Bishoo before Shane Shillingford pulled Reifer for four to help avoid the embarrassment of an innings defeat for his team, Smith soon brought up consecutive fifties from 131 balls, 212 minutes but was soon bowled by Reifer as he pushed casually forward and at 127-8 the writing was on the wall. Kevin McClean (2) spooned a hook at Refier to short mid-wicket at 131-9 but the last pair of Shillingford (26 with 2 sixes and a 4) and Matthew (12) threw their bats around to take the lead to 39.

Scoreboard
Windwards Volcanoes 1st innings
D Smith c Chanderpaul b Permaul     87
T Theophile c Chanderpaul b Beaton   1
J Robinson c Johnson b Reifer           57
D Polius b Bishoo                                 9
S Ambris c Wkt Bramble b Reifer      19
K Hodge b Beaton                                 6
L Sebastien not out                              13
K Mayers c & b Joseph                        10
S Shillingford c wkp Bramble b Beaton 0
M Matthew c Permaul b Beaton             0
K McClean c Chanderpaul b Beaton       3
Extras (b-2, w-2, lb-2, nb-6)                  11
Total (all out off 68.2 overs)              216

Fow: 16, 136, 164, 168, 189, 196, 207, 208, 208, 216

Bowling: Beaton 16.2-3-43-5, Joseph 12-2-51-1,
Reifer 12-0-42-2, Fudadin 4-1-12-0,
Permaul 15-3-36-1, Bishoo 9-2-29-1

Jaguars 1st innings
R Chandrika LBW b Mayers          17
T Chanderpaul LBW b                    46
D Bishoo c Hodge b Mayers             0
A Fudadin LBW b Mayers              15
L Johnson c Theophile b Shillingford 107
V Singh LBW b Sebastien                     53
A Bramble c Wkt Ambris b Matthew      4
R Reifer not out                                      37
V Permaul c Theophile b Matthew        16
R Beaton c Smith b Matthew                    0
K Joseph c McClean b Matthew             14
Extras (w-8, nb-4, b-6, lb-2, b-10)          24
Total (all out in 112.5)                        338

Fow: 34, 37, 70, 100, 212, 229, 291, 310, 310, 338

Bowling: Matthew 29.5-6-80-5, McClean18-0-77-0,
Mayers 26-3-84-2, Sebastien 16-4-33-1,
Shillingford 23-8-52-1

Volcanoes 2nd innings
T Theophile c Singh b Beaton              1
D Smith b Reifer                                 51
J Robinson c Bramble b Joseph          17
D Polius c Bramble b Beaton              22
S Ambris c Reifer b Bishoo                   4
L Sebastien c Bramble b Reifer             0
K Mayers LBW b Bishoo                       3
S Shillingford c Chanderpaul b Bishoo 26
K McClean c Chanderpaul b Reifer        2
M Matthew not out                                12
Extras (lb-2, b-1, w-5, nb-10)                18
Total (for 10 wkts in 56 overs)          161

Fow: 6, 47, 90, 100, 107, 107, 118, 127, 131, 161

Bowlers: Beaton 9-2-28-2, Joseph 9-1-21-1,
Reifer 15-4-35-4, Bishoo 22-4-71-3, Johnson 1-0-3-0

Jaguars 2nd innings
R Chandrika c Ambris b Mayers                3
T Chanderpaul c Robinson b Mayers         1
A Fudadin c Ambris b Shillingford            9
A Bramble c Polius b Shillingford              0
L Johnson not out                                      17
V Singh not out                                           9
Extras 0 Total (for 4 wkts in 11.4 overs) 39

Fow: 4, 13, 13, 13

Bowling: Mayers 6-3-13-2, Shillingford 5.4-2-26-2
Result: Jaguars won by 6 wkts Points: Jaguars 18, Volcanoes 4

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