PCL First-Class cricket … Jaguars in control against Scorpions 

Mar 19, 2016 Sports

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  By Sean Devers

Watched by a fair sized crowd equipped with a large Radio to listen to the

live commentary, West Indies under-19 Captain Shemron Hetymer stroked an attractive maiden hundred (107), while half-centuries from Rajendra Chandrika (76) and Skipper Leon Johnson (58*) put Guyana Jaguars in a strong position at the end of the opening day of their final round PCL First-Class match against the Jamaica Scorpions at Providence yesterday.

The Scorpions lacked venom as the Jaguars were aided by at least six dropped catches and a missed run-out opportunity with Chandrika stranded at mid pitch.

By the close Jaguars reached 297-4 from 93 overs to leave them three runs short of at third batting points in a match they must win to capture their eighth title and second in consecutive seasons.

The Jaguars’ total was built around three half century partnerships as they recovered from a slow first session in which four catches were dropped and hosts just managed 73 runs.

The 19-year-old Hetymer reached the boundary 15 times and cleared it once. The left-handed Berbician batted for 162 minutes and 135 balls and shared in partnerships of 76 for the second wicket with Chandrika and 87 for the third wicket with Johnson.

Chandrika’s ninth fifty took 135 balls, 163 minutes and hit 13 fours, while Johnson’s unbeaten 58 lasted 127 balls, 143 minutes and was decorated with three fours and a six.

Chandrika has put on 80 with Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who failed to make the use of two easy chances and was to LBW to leg-spinner Damion Jacobs for 21 from 104 balls and 139 minutes.

The Jaguars, who left out Steven Jacobs and Keon Joseph, won the toss and elected to bat in sunny conditions on a two-paced track and a fast outfield with a few parched patches.

Chanderpaul soon played a loose drive at left-arm pacer Gavon Browne in only his second game at this level, and was floored at second slip before Chandrika played a glorious cover drive off Browne for four.

Chanderpaul (7) then pulled a short ball from Devon Thomas and Jacobs dropped a sitter at square-leg, while Chandrika almost ran himself out but the fielder at mid-on looped the ball wide of the mark.

Chanderpaul, who looked very uncertain, rocked back of cut Thomas sweetly for four but soon saw Chandrika being dropped by the keeper off the unlucky Thomas who bowled impressively although his forte is wicket-keeping.

The pair rode their luck but struggled to get the ball away against an attack badly missing the tournament’s leading wicket-taker left-arm spinner Nikita Miller who fell ill and returned home.

Chandrika broke the shackles with a pulled boundary off Thomas but Chanderpaul continued to find it hard to score. Left-arm spinner Dennis Bullie was introduced and Chandrika brought up the fifty from 85 balls 114 minutes with back-to-back boundaries.

Chanderpaul used his feet to Jacobs and dumped him for the first six of the game after spending 41 balls on 11, while Chandrika made a consorted effort to step up the run rate with two boundaries in Bullie’s next over and by Lunch the Jaguars had reached 73-0 from 30 overs.

Chandrika, who hit nine fours in his fifty, was unbeaten on 50 and with him was Chanderpaul on 19 from 98 balls.

The second session produced 110 runs for the loss of both openers to Jacobs. Chanderpaul was trapped LBW as debutant Umpire Shannon Crawford made his first decision in First-Class cricket to leave Guyana on 80-1.

Hetymer joined Chandrika and together they upped the tempo with some delightful shots before Chandrika wasted the opportunity to get his second ton at this level when he was caught and bowled by Jacobs at 106-2.

Johnson, the tournament’s leading run scorer with 714 joined Hetymer, in his first match since his return from India with Championship winning West Indies U-19 team and his seventh at this level.

Hetymer was dropped on 34 but oozed confidence from the start of his innings and played an array of exhilarating shots while using his feet nicely to the spinners. A dismissive drive back past leg-spinner Jacobs was arguable the shot of the day as he reached his first fifty from 66 balls and 71 minutes with seven fours and a six.

The left-handed teenager was again dropped at gully by Bullie off Thomas on 93 but a firm on-drive by Hetymer off Thomas brought him his ton from 127 balls, 147 minutes aided by 14 fours and an effortless six off Jacobs. By Tea the score was 182-2 with Hetymer on 68 and Johnson on 9.

After the break Hetymer was bowled by Jermaine Blackwood to break the 87-run third wicket stand.

Vishaul Singh was put down at slip by John Campbell off Browne on three as the butter-fingered Jamaicans continued their poor catching. Johnson pulled Blackwood for four to post the 250 in 82 overs to give his team their second batting point.

Singh punched Browne behind point for four to move to 10 and joined Johnson as the only batmen in the tournament with 700 runs. He celebrated with a second four in the over.

Singh then slashed Browne over slip for another boundary before he played on shot to a ball that came back and was bowled by Browne for 23 at 286-4.

Night watchman Devendra Bishoo (1) joined Johnson (58) and they batted out the day. The Jaguars will look to make a huge score today to force an outright win since Barbados, just seven points behind them, bowled out the Leewards Hurricanes for 119 and were leading by 26 runs with six wickets in hand at close in St Kitts yesterday.

Meanwhile, in scores from the other matches: Leewards vs Barbados –

Barbados 145/4 (stumps) – Chase 22* Dowrich 17*

Brooks 2 Braithwaite 31 Phillips 42 Hope 27

Wkts: Taylor 1 Cornwall 3

Leewards 119 – Hamilton 42Powell 33 Cummins 2/30Roach 2/21 Chase 1/15Warrican 3/33Brathwaite1/4

T&T vs Windwards –

Windwards 33/0 (stumps) Smith 13* Theophile 20*

T&T 211 – Deonarine 91*, Khan 39 Hope 28;

Wkts: Mayers 3, Johnson 1, L. Edwards 4, Sebastien 2.

 

Scoreboard

Jaguars

T Chanderpaul LBW b Jacobs                   21

R Chandrika c & b Jacobs                          76

S Hetymer b Blackwood                          107

L Johnson not out                                       58

V Singh b Browne                                      23

D Bishoo not out                                          1

Extras (w-1, nb-8, lb-2, b-1)                       12

Total (for 4 wkts off 93 overs)                297

 

Fow: 80, 156, 243, 286,

Bowling: Dawes 9-1-22-1, Browne

15-2-58-1, Thomas 12-3-30-0,

Jacobs 26-6-63-2, Bullie 10-1-52-0,

McCarthy 3-0-11-0, Campbell 2-0-8-0

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