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GCB Jaguars 50-over League…W/B’ce suffer another last over defeat after Johnson’s career best 5-26
By Sean Devers
A fair size and raucous contingent of West Berbice fans, for the second day in a row were forced to endure another heartbreaking last over defeat in their own as back-yard as their truncated third round GCB Jaguars 50-over League against a star-studded Georgetown unit at the Bush Lot ground in West Berbice went down to wire yesterday.
The game eventually started at 14:00hrs due to seepage under the covers from overnight rain with the game being reduced to 20 overs and in bright sunshine Georgetown won the toss and asked West Berbice to bat on a track with lots of moisture.
Only Arthley Bailey who reached the boundary three times in his 24 and National left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie (18) reached double figures as the home team crumbled to leg-spin of Jaguars Skipper Leon Johnson who grabbed a career best 5-26 and got support from Medium pacer Paul Wintz (2-6) as they were routed for 96 in 19.2 overs.
Georgetown began with a flurry of boundaries from left-hander Robin Bacchus who added 39 for the first wicket with Andrew Lyght jr, the son of the late former West Indies ‘B’ team Andrew Lyght.
Bacchus (22) began with a boundary over mid-on off Stephen Harris before hitting two more fours and a six off Harris, while Lyght (17) was his usual aggressive self and an emphatic victory for the City side seemed just a formality.
But once Motie removed both openers the floodgates were wrenched wide open as Shemroy Barrington (5), Skipper Chris Barnwell (3), Johnson (0), West Indies U-19 Selectee Raymond Perez (1), Keeper Darwin Christian (15), Steven Sankar (0) and Wintz (1) all fell cheaply in the low scoring encounter.
With 10 to get in the last over with the last pair at the crease and fans on the edge of their seats, Jamaican Franchise off-spinner Ramaal Lewis ended the exciting game with a six and a four off Harris to finish unbeaten on 15 with four balls left in a match that West Berbice should have won. Andrew Duthin (3-11), Motie (2-9) and Waqar Hassan (2-18) almost bowled their team to an unlikely victory.
Earlier, West Berbice never came to terms with the slow surface although the left-handed Bailey played some fluent extra cover drives off Barnwell before spanking West Indies U-19 Selectee Ashmead Nedd back past him for four.
Bailey then pulled a fast long-hop from an ordinary looking Lewis like a bullet to the mid-wicket boundary but the batsmen lacked the ability to manipulate the balls in the gaps and rotate the strike and generally used a ‘block and a hit’ approach to score runs on the rough and slightly damp outfield.
This was after Raffel Estraido played an uppish on-drive to be taken by Sankar for a duck off Wintz and Leon Andrews, who struggled to get the ball away, was bowled for seven in the ninth over by Nedd to leave the host on 35-2.
Keith Fraser’s wicket is dismantled by Leon Johnson who took 5-26 at Bush Lot yesterday. (Sean Devers photo)
Bailey was taken at point off Barnwell who must be commended for surprisingly tossing the ball to Johnson, known more for his batting than bowling.
Johnson struck in his first over when Sherwin McPherson offered a catch to long-off to start the Leon Johnson show.
Keith Fraser (3) had his wicket dismantled when he missed a mighty swing and Stephen Adams (0) was smartly stumped by Christian as Johnson struck twice at 41.
Johnson was clearly enjoying his unexpected success with the ball and although he was dumped for sixes by Kevin Sinclair and Harris he had the last laugh when Harris (7) tried to turn one that spun and spooned a catch back to Johnson who held a brilliant one-handed return catch to send Sinclair (16) on his way at 69-8.
Motie lofted Sankar for a couple of sixes before he was bowled by the leg-spinner before Wintz wrapped up the innings by bowling Duthin for nine.
Pic – The inform Sherwin McPherson is about to caught off Leon Johnson at Bush Lot yesterday. (Sean Devers photo)
– Keith Fraser’s wicket is dismantled by Leon Johnson who took 5-26 at Bush Lot yesterday. (Sean Devers photo)
– Robin Bacchus hits down the ground yesterday. (Sean Devers photo)
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