PCL cricket… Jacobs claims 5-wicket haul, Johnson’s 93, Motie’s late burst keep Jaguars in control

Mar 20, 2016 Sports

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By Sean Devers

A well constructed 93 by Leon Johnson, 62 from Jermaine Blackwood and a five-wicket haul from leg-spinner Damion Jacobs, highlighted action on the second day of the final round of the PCL First-Class tournament between Guyana Jaguars and Jamaica Scorpions yesterday at Providence.
Johnson’s 28th First-Class fifty, which lasted 185 balls, 266 minutes with six fours and a six, led the Jaguars to 420 with Jacobs taking 5-127 and pacer Jason Dawes claiming 2-37. The Scorpions, led by Blackwood 16th fifty and an unbeaten 40 from Devon Thomas reached 171-5 by the close, still 100 runs away from the follow-on target. Aldane Thomas (21) and his unrelated namesake Antiguan Devon Thomas have so far added 51 for the sixth wicket. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie took three wickets in the final session to finish with 3-33, while left-arm pacer Raymond Refier supported with 2-43.
The Jaguars resumed on 297-4 and registered their third batting point before Devendra Bishoo (3) pulled Jacobs to backward square to leave the score on 306-5. Chris Barnwell joined Johnson who gloriously smashed Jacobs for consecutive boundaries to move into the 70s, while Barnwell pulled left-arm pacer Browne all along the ground behind square for four and dumped him for six the next ball. Barnwell then hammered Jacobs for another four in the next over as the Jaguars made it known early that were looking for a big total and trying to get it quickly as possible. An edge between first and second slip raced for four by Barnwell brought up the 350 and the fourth batting point. With regularly updates coming from St Kitts where Barbados, with seven points behind the Jaguars, were playing the Leewards being fed to the Guyana camp it was getting more important that the hosts pressed for a win.
Barnwell made a cameo 25, which was decorated with three fours and a six and came from just 31 balls before he was trapped LBW to the impressive Jacobs who extracted some bounce and turn on a track with a tinge of green but had little pace in it. Barnwell’s demise came at 353 and ended an important 47-run sixth wicket stand with his Captain and brought Reifer to the crease. The left handed Bajan latched onto Jacobs and pounded him for a couple of fours. Johnson who continued to play in a delightful fashion and when he reached 86 he crossed the 800-run barrier. When seven short of his fifth century and third this season, Johnson flirted with a ball which left him from Devon Thomas and edged it to the Keeper to end a wonderful innings which he again failed to convert into three figures.
Reifer (11) was LBW to Jacobs and Veerasammy Permaul joined Anthony Bramble at 384-8 and together saw the Jaguars to 398-8 by Lunch.
After the interval Permaul viciously cut Dawes for four before he was caught at first slip for 21 to give Jacobs his eighth five-wicket haul and 35th for the season to leave the Jaguars on 414-9. Motie (4) was bowled by Dawes to end the innings 27 minutes after Lunch setting the Scorpions 271 to avoid the follow-on. When began their reply John Campbell, with a hundred and two fifties this season, pulled Reifer to mid-on at 15-1 after making just one. Shacaya Thomas stroked four boundaries in his first four scoring shots highlighted by an imperious cover drive off Reifer which raced along the fast outfield like a bullet. The burly Thomas pivoted and hooked Barnwell for six before Blackwood caressed Reifer for a magnificent cover driven boundary and when he over compensated and bowled into the pads of Blackwood who whipped it for a well timed off side four. Blackwood then launched into Reifer in the same over and spanked him for four before playing a delightful straight drive off Motie then hitting the 20-year-old left-arm spinner for another four. The 50 was brought up in the 12th over as both batsmen looked very positive with Thomas playing a lovely flowing on-drive drive off Motie who bowled too quickly and by Tea the visitors had reached 70-1 with Thomas on32 and Blackwood on 33.
After Tea, Motie struck twice in quick succession when he induced the right-handed Thomas who pushed forward to one that turned and touched it to the Keeper in the third over after Tea to break the 65-run stand. Thomas’ 32 included five fours and a six, while Andre McCarty was LBW for three at 74-3. Paul Palmer stroked Motie for a sweetly timed four but was LBW for six as Motie struck for the third time in the first 30-minutes after Tea as the Scorpions lost their sting and sunk to 88-4.
But disaster struck for the Jaguars when Motie hurt his finger on his bowling hand while trying to field to his own bowling and his over had to be completed by Bishoo. Devon Thomas, one of only three batsmen in the Scorpions team with a century this season joined Blackwood, the only Test player in the side and together they tried to repair the damage. Blackwood reached his fifty from 106 balls, 115 minutes with six fours, while Devon Thomas who scored a century in the penultimate round, danced into Bishoo and lofted him over the top for four. Blackwood smashed Bishoo over the extra cover boundary for six as he continued to counter-attack.
But Reifer was re-introduced and a short ball crashed into the helmet of 21-year-old rookie Aldane Thomas but Reifer pitched up the next ball was driven dismissively to the cover boundary. Devon Thomas swept Permaul twice and stroked him for a third four in an expensive over and Motie, with his finger heavily bandaged, returned to the attack for the last 10 minutes of the day. Devon Thomas played an irresponsible sweep in the penultimate over of the day and West Indies U-19 Vice-Captain Kemo Paul almost pulled off a stunning catch on the mid wicket boundary but luckily for the Antiguan batsman, Paul’s momentum carried him over the boundary and a six was signaled by Paul.
In scores from the other two games:
Leewards vs Barbados – PCL
Leewards: 18/1 Carty 2*, Louis 7*, Powell 8 (stumps) and 119 Hamilton 42; Powell 33 Cummins 2/30 Roach 2/21 Warrican 3/33
Barbados: 436 Dowrich 96, Chase 62, Stoute 42, Phillips 42; Cornwall 5 Louis 2
T&T vs Windwards – PCL
T&T 33/1 (stumps) Guillen 9*; Sebastien 1 and 211 Deonarine 91*;Mayers 3/37 Johnson 1/33 L.Edwards 4/77 Sebastien 2/62
Windwards: 289 Smith 127, Theophile 73; Khan 4/93, Emrit 3/59, Jagessar 3/74

Scoreboard
Jaguars
T Chanderpaul LBW b Jacobs 21
R Chandrika c & b Jacobs 76
S Hetymer b Blackwood 107
L Johnson c wkt A Thomas b D Thomas 93
V Singh b Browne 23
D Bishoo c Dawes b Jacobs 3
C Barnwell LBW Jacobs 25
R Reifer LBW b Dawes 11
A Bramble not out 16
V Permaul c Blackwood b Jacobs 21
G Motie b Dawes 4
Extras (w-1, nb-12, lb-13, b-5) 21
Total (for 10 wkts off 128 overs) 420

Fow: 80, 156, 243, 286, 306, 353, 371, 384, 414, 420,

Bowling: Dawes 15-3-39-2, Browne 20-3-73-0,
D. Thomas 18-4-48-1, Jacobs 42-6-127-5, Bullie 10-1-52-0,
McCarthy 3-0-11-0, Campbell 2-0-8-0

Scorpions 1st innings
John Campbell c Permaul b Reifer 1
Shacaya Thomas c wkt Bramble b Motie 32
J Blackwood LBW Reifer 62
A McCarty LBW b Motie 3
P Palmer LBW b Motie 6
D Thomas not out 40
A Thomas not out 21
Extras (nb-4, lb2) 6
Total (For 5 wkts off 57 overs) 171

Fow: 15, 70, 74, 88, 120,

Bowling: Reifer 10-3-43-2,
Barnwell 4-2-21-0, Motie 13.3-4-27-3,
Permaul 18-6-35-0, Bishoo 9.3-3-37-0

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