Jaguars aim to break 16-year barren 50-over run – Return to Antigua where Guyana 1st tasted success in 1980

Jan 24, 2021 Sports

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Kaieteur News –
By Sean Devers

A full strength Guyana Jaguars team will aim to lift their tenth Regional 50-over title when this years Regional Super50 bowls off next month in Antigua where Guyana, who begin their campaign on February 8, 2021, captured their first title in 1980.
Guyanas last title was achieved in 2005 at Bourda and although Leon Johnson has led Guyana to five consecutive First-Class titles in the last six seasons, Guyana has not won a 50-over title in 16 years.
In 2005, Ramnaresh Sarwan scored 462 runs with three centuries; the most runs and most centuries in the tournament. The elegant right-hander scored two tons in Barbados before following it up with another classy hundred in the semi-final at Bourda.
A delightful innings from Sewnarine Chattergoon who scored a century in the final of the KFC Cup at Bourda resulted in Guyana beating Barbados by seven runs on the Duckworth/Lewis system.
Neil McGarrell hit left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn onto Regent Street in the 49th over in near darkness before bad light stopped play with two runs to win.
McGarrells six had pushed Guyana ahead of par score on the Duckworth/Lewis system to give his team victory to the delight of a ram packed Bourda.
The Umpires had earlier offered the batsmen bad light but not realising they were ahead on the Duckworth/Lewis system they home team opted to bat on.
Leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo finished with 12 wickets the most in the tournament. The preliminary round was played in Barbados before the Semis and final were staged in Georgetown.
Of interest is the fact that Manager/Assistant Coach Shivnarine Chanderpaul was the Captain in 2005, while Head Coach Esuan Crandon, a member of squad in that 2005 Championship winning Guyana team.
The Regional 50-over tournament began in 1976 with the Gillette Cup when Barbados beat Trinidad & Tobago.
Barbados again won in 1977 when Emmerson Trotman scored the tournaments first hundred against Guyana at Bourda. T&T was again the runners-up.
A century from Skipper and West Indies opener Roy Fredericks helped his team to 327-7 off 50 overs in the final against the Leeward Islands at the Antigua Recreation Ground. Guyanese Timour Mohammed, unlucky not to play an international match despite making a century for West Indies in a tour match in England, scored the most runs in the tournament as Guyana won its first title in 1980.
Guyanas second title came in 1983 at Bourda, when Guyana, under the leadership of West Indies most successful Captain, Clive Lloyd, won both the Shell Shield First Division tournament and the Regional 50 overs title. West Indies batsman Faoud Bacchus scored the most runs in the tournament, while fellow GCC seam bowler Garfield Charles took the most wickets as Guyanese dominated the tournament and beat Jamaica in the final by 128 runs. Lloyd had also led Guyana to 1983 First-Class title that year.

In 1985, Captained by West Indies ODI Keeper, Berbician Milton Pydanna, Guyana beat Jamaica by five wickets in the final at Bourda.
In 1993 in the Geddes Grant Shield, under the leadership of Roger Harper, who finished the tournament with the most wickets, Guyana shared the title with Leewards after the final was washed out at Albion in Berbice. Harper had also led Guyana to the double after they had won the 1993 First-Class title.
In 1995, under new sponsors Shell Sandals, rain in Guyana washed out the final at Bourda and the home team shared the title with Trinidad & Tobago. Skipper Carl Hooper scored the most runs and Shiv Chanderpaul, bowling leg-spin, captured the most wickets in the tournament.
Under the Captaincy of Hooper, Guyana won the 1998 Red Strip Bowl title when they beat the Leewards by 52 runs in Jamaica as Chanderpaul scored the most runs in the tournament.
Guyana, again led by Hooper, beat Barbados by six wickets in the 2001 final of the Red Stripe Bowl in Jamaica before Guyana, captained by Chanderpaul, won the 2003 Red Stripe Bowl when they beat Barbados by 27 runs in Jamaica while their last title was won in 2005 at Bourda.
Guyana has qualified for the final 17 times since 1976 with Carl Hooper (1995, 98 & 2001) being this Countrys most successful Regional 50-over Captain.
Chanderpaul (2003 & 2005), Fredericks (1980), Lloyd (1983), Pydanna (1985) and Roger Harper (1993), who have all represented the West Indies in ODIs, have also led Guyana to 50-over titles.
Every successful Guyana Captain in this format, with the exception of Pydanna (three ODIs), have played Test and ODI Cricket while Lloyd, Hooper and Chanderpaul have led the West Indies in Test and ODI cricket.
The first time Guyana finished as Runners-up was in 1989 when the Windward Islands won their first ever title as the Islanders registered a thrilling one-wicket upset win against Guyana in the final of the Geddes Grant Shield in Grenada.
In 1994 the Leewards beat Guyana in the final as Skipper Carl Hooper scored the most runs in the tournament.
Guyana lost to Trinidad & Tobago at Bourda in the 1996 final after Rajendra Dhanrajs hat-trick (Sarwan, Kenrick Wong & Hooper) gave the visitors victory after a good partnership between Chanderpaul and Keith Semple was broken.
Guyana were again Runners-up when they were beaten by the Leewards the 1997 final in Jamaica.
Since 2005 they have reached three more finals without success; with T&T winning by 81 runs at Providence in 2009 under the Captaincy of Sarwan.
Guyana again lost in the 2014 final when were defeated by T&T, while the last time Guyana qualified for the final was in 2018 when they lost a nail-biting contest at the 3Ws Oval by one wicket as the Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) emerged Champions on their home ground.
The West Indies Emerging Players surprised almost everyone when, on debut, they won the last tournament in Trinidad in 2019.

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