Regional Super50 cricket… Pestano’s hat-trick leaves Red force a spent force – Fifties for Griffith, Reifer as Jaguars jump to top with 19 points

Oct 14, 2018 Sports

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By Sean Devers in Trinidad
In association with Vnet, Regal,
Noble House Seafoods & Cascadia Hotel

In a top of the table clash at the Brian Lara Academy, Guyana Jaguars led by fifties from Trevon Griffith and Raymon Reifer and the fifth hat-trick in the Regional Super50 tournament from Clinton Pestano, beat Trinidad Red Force by 75 runs yesterday to move to the top of the points table with 19 points, while Red Force remain on 18.
Griffith hit seven fours and a six in his 80-ball 70 to register his fifth fifty and second in a row and added 89 from 106 balls with Skipper Leon Johnson whose 35 lasted 53 balls and included five fours and a six.
Reifer blasted two fours and four sixes in an explosive seventh half-century, scoring 66 from 55 balls and along with Ricardo Adams, who made cameo 18, shared in a 57-run stand from 44 balls as the Jaguars reached 291-8 when their 50 overs expired.
Ravi Rampaul took 3-56 for the Red Force who made 216 in reply as Lendl Simmons who made 70 from 73 ball with six fours and three sixes and Darren Bravo who scored 43 from 72 balls with four fours where the only batsmen to offer resistance. Pestano (3-47) and Ramaal Lewis (3-33) were the main wicket takers for the Jaguars.
Jaguars elected to bat in steaming heat on a flat track and lightning fast outfield and Griffith hit the game’s first boundary in the third over when he whacked DJ Bravo over mid-off four before Rutherford slapped him behind point, flicked him to fine-leg and hit a one-handed shot over extra cover for boundaries off the last three balls of his next over.
Rutherford (15) pulled a short ball from Rampaul to deep mid-wicket in the sixth over with the score on 31, while Griffith executed a gorgeous back cut which raced to the point boundary in an eventful over.
Johnson joined Griffith with cotton-wool like clouds drifting over the lush green sward as Griffith deftly steered Reyad Emrit to third man for four.
Rampaul, back from English County Cricket, peppered Johnson with a couple of bouncers and Johnson got off the mark with a contemptuous hook off the last one for six.
Watched by Windies selector Travis Dowlin, the students of the Samuel Badree Academy and the biggest crowd of the tournament so far, Johnson pulled Rampaul viciously for four and after 10 overs the Jaguars were 53-1.
Sunil Narine was introduced and Griffith reverse swept him four before an orthodox sweep raced to the long-leg boundary and Johnson slog-swept the off-spinner for another boundary.
Johnson caressed Emrit immaculately for four, while Griffith who seemed to be batting with a broom, revere swept left-arm spinner Khary Pierre for fours and then scampered a single to bring up his 50 from 54 balls with six fours and a six.
The 100 was came up in the 16th over as the partnership flourished under the sunshine but when Johnson (35) edged Jason Mohammed to wicket-keeper Denish Ramdin at 120-2 a crowd of close to 3,000 blew horns as they roared their approval.
Johnson’s demise brought Barnwell, Guyana’s leading run scorer to the crease and he was soon into his stride.
Barnwell hit Mohammed back over his head for a scorching boundary before smashing Pierre for four and clobbering him for six to bring up the 150 in the 28thover and celebrated the land-mark with an even bigger six two balls later.
With the score on 120 Griffith cut Rampaul for DJ Bravo at point to dive to his right to hold a stupendous one-handed catch.
Reifer joined Barnwell who was trapped LBW for 38 at 182-4 in the 35th over and clipped Emrit for four.
Bramble deposited Pierre for six but looking repeat the shot off the next delivery, skied the ball ‘miles’ into the air for Ramdin from behind the stumps to take the catch at short mid-wicket at 219-5.
Reifer launched into Emrit and dumped over his head for consecutive sixes to post his 50 from 47 balls with two fours and three sixes before Adams smashed Rampaul for four before being brilliantly caught by a diving Nicholas Pooran at deep mid-wicket at 276-6.
Reifer smashed the next ball into the stand before Romario Shepherd finished off the over with gigantic six.
At 287-6 with six balls to go it looked as if the Jaguars would reach 300 but a fantastic last over from Bravo limited them to the 291-9.
Reifer slashed Bravo to third man off the first ball and Clinton Pestano was run out by the Keeper in an over which cost just three runs.
Red Force began their run chase with consecutive boundaries by Simmons off the first two balls off Pestano, while Ramdin played a glorious straight drive when Reifer pitched up but Ramdin (7) was bowled by Reifer at 16-1.
Simmons elegantly cover drove Reifer for four and flicked Pestano for six before driving the pacer past his ankles for four more and soon reached his 24th List ‘A’ fifty before steering Barnwell for four.
Darren Bravo pivoted and pulled Shepherd, who insisted in bowling short for consecutive boundaries, while Simmons went after Lewis and pounded him for four behind point.
But when the total was 133-3 in the 28th over Simmons (70), Pollard (0) and DJ Bravo (0) were dismissed off successive balls by Pestano who captured the first ever hat-trick in Super50 cricket to sink the Red Force to 133-5.
The leading run scorer Pooran (18) pulled Ramaal Lewis for four before he was bowled by the same bowler to level the score on 159-6 and when Darren Bravo was LBW to Lewis at 180-8 and Emrit (24) departed at 212-9 it was all over.
Scores: JAGUARS 291 for eight off 50 overs (Trevon Griffith 70, Raymon Reifer 66, Christopher Barnwell 38, Leon Johnson 35; Ravi Rampaul 3-56).
RED FORCE 216 all out in 47.1 overs (Lendl Simmons 70, Darren Bravo 43; Ralmaal Lewis 3-33, Clinton Pestano 3-47).
Meanwhile, Canada defeated the Windward Islands Volcanoes by 18 runs in their Group B match in the Regional Super50 at the Queen’s Park Oval here yesterday.
Scores: CANADA 206 for nine off 50 overs (Navneet Dhaliwal 35, Srimantha Wijeyeratne 35, David Jacobs 32, Bhavindu Adhihetty 29; Tyrone Theophile 3-22, Kavem Hodge 2-25, Kesrick Williams 2-49).
VOLCANOES 188 all out in 49.2 overs (Roland Cato 50, Alick Athanaze 42, Shane Shillingford 27; Romesh Don 6-21). (CMC)

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