Harpy Eagles rise higher with win over Red Force

Mar 19, 2023 Sports

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2023 West Indies Championship…

– Volcanoes seal victory on Day 4 with first ball

Kaieteur News – Guyana Harpy Eagles have undoubtedly tightened their grip on the lead in the 2023 West Indies Championship following their comprehensive four-day win against Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Red Force that was completed yesterday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BCLA) in T&T.

Harpy Eagles won by 143-runs after restricting Red Force to 268 in 97.4 overs in the latter stage of the second session. Red Force were in pursuit of the 412-run target set by the Harpy Eagles, which was needed for a Trinidadian victory.

At the commencement of Day Four, the home team needed 306 runs for victory while the visitors needed seven wickets to earn their second win of the tournament. Red Force started the day on 106 – 3 with their captain, Darren Bravo and Jyd Goolie on 63 and 14, respectively.

The pair pressed on with their partnership and took it to 49, where it was broken by a miscommunication between the batsmen, which led to Matthew Nandu finding a direct hit to remove Goolie for 18; Red Force were 119 – 3.

Tion Webster was the new batsman but his stay was short lived as he was bowled by Veerasammy Permaul for 16 to leave T&T on 144 – 3. During that time, Bravo survived one of the many questionable calls from the umpires this match and was quickly approaching his third century this season.

However, the left hander lost his focus in the nervous 90s and drove one from Permaul into the lap of Kevin Sinclair at mid-off, five runs short of triple figures. Red Force then suffered another huge blow as Permaul bowled the new batsman, Imran Khan, the very next ball. T&T slipped to 165 – 7.

Bryan Charles (1) survived Permaul’s hat-trick ball, but three overs later became his third victim of the innings as T&T lost their eighth wicket for 174 runs on the brink of lunch.

Middle order batsman Amir Jangoo watched from the other end as Bravo, Khan and Charles were dismissed in quick succession but along with lower order batsmen Uthman Muhammad (25) and Justin Manick (22), he was able to reach another First Class half century.

During that time, the Harpy Eagles’ approach became too casual and invited at least three dropped catches in the session. Muhammed’s dismissal – the ninth wicket, was also a clear umpire error; he was given out (caught) from a bouncer from Ronsford Beaton that painfully deflected off of his shoulder.

Kevin Sinclair was responsible for the final wicket of Manick, who was caught behind by Tevin Imlach, as Jangoo was left unbeaten on an even 50. Imlach took over from Anthony Bramble, who was struck over the right eye in the second session by a lively delivery from Beaton that burst through his gloves.

Permaul ended the innings with three wickets, Beaton and Keemo Paul both had two wickets each while Nial Smith and Kevin Sinclair claimed one each.

In this match, Harpy Eagles lost the toss and were given first strike in the 1^st innings, where they posted 324. They restricted T&T to 160 and led by 164 runs going into the 2^nd innings. Harpy Eagles then declared for 247 – 6 to leave a mammoth 412 for victory.

This win keeps Guyana in the lead with two Rounds left to contest.

Volcanoes seal victory on Day 4…

In the other Round three match, it took the Windward Islands Volcanoes about 30 seconds on the final day to wrap up their victory against Scorpions at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, as Shermon Lewis produced a magnificent delivery first up to claim the last Jamaican wicket.

The moment was also an excellent one for Lewis, who achieved a five-wicket haul in the process, when he beautifully bowled Nicholson Gordon (2) to leave him in utter disbelief after he did so well to keep Volcanoes at bay in the closing overs of Day 3’s final session.

Volcanoes eventually triumphed by 181 runs after they restricted Scorpions to 233 in 93.1 overs to become the second team to reign supreme in the third round, following Leeward Islands Hurricanes’ victory against defending champion, Barbados Pride, which ended on the third day (Friday).

In the first innings, Hurricanes posted 217 and restricted Scorpions to 101 to achieve a lead of 216 ahead of the second innings. Hurricanes put forth a better performance with the bat in the other innings as they reached 298 all out, to set a target of 415 for victory.

Meanwhile, the fourth round bowls off on Wednesday, March 22, as Guyana battle Jamaica at the Guyana National Stadium, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands collide at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy and T&T host Barbados at the Queen’s Park Oval.

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• Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BCLA), Darren Bravo, Jyd Goolie, Matthew Nandu, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Red Force

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