By Calvin Roberts (Guyana Chronicle)
HAVING claimed the three-day title three days ago, hosts Guyana started their quest for limited overs honours yesterday, with a 76-run victory over the Leeward Islands, when the two sides met at the Enmore Community Centre ground.
The Guyanese, who scored 202 off 49.2 overs, were indebted to the batting of all-rounder Kemo Paul, whose 85 (104 balls, 6×4; 1×6) coupled with 23 from Shiraz Ramcharran and 21 from Tagenarine Chanderpaul, took them to their eventual total.
Skipper Jeremiah Louis took 4 for 23 for Leeward Islands, receiving support from Ashran Hodge and Alzarri Joseph, who took two wickets each for 32 and 46 runs respectively, before Balchand Baldeo (3 for 15), Ramcharran (2 for 13) and Steven Sankar (2 for 29) bowled the visitors out for 126 in 42.2 overs.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first in brilliant sunshine, Guyana were reduced to 24 for 2 when Joseph removed Shimron Hetmyer (14, 2×4) and Brian Sattaur (0) in the space of three balls, before Chanderpaul and Baldeo (9) pushed the score to 46.
Chanderpaul missed a slower delivery from Louis and was bowled in the 12th over, a wicket that was quickly followed by the demise of Baldeo who was palpably lbw to Louis and Ashkay Homraj (5) who picked out Joseph at mid off, when he looked to hit Hodge over that area.
Ramcharran and Paul revived things with their 38-run partnership for the sixth wicket before Ramcharran was bowled by Shaquille Martina for 23, at 98 for 6 in the 26th over, followed by Kemol Savory (6) lbw to Moitt Hingorani at 107 for 7.
Damion Waldron (5) helped pushed Guyana to 140 with Paul before he missed a low full toss from Louis and was lbw, enabling Sankar who always showed he has potential with the bat, to add 58 valuable runs for the home team, during which Paul posted the lone half-century of the contest.
Paul faced 77 balls and struck five fours, bringing up his 50 with a well-timed straight drive off the bowling of Martina then celebrated the feat with a four and six off Hingorani, before he began to show signs of tiredness and was caught on the long-on boundary by Louis off Martina at 198 for 4.
Four runs later, the Guyanese innings came to a close when Sankar was caught at the wicket by Jaeel Clarke off Louis, leaving Niall Smith unbeaten on 2.
When the Leewards began their reply, they were smothered by the pace/spin combination tactics to be 22 for 4, losing Ross Powell (2) to the second delivery, bowled by Smith while Baldeo sent back Dion West (5), Kasey Carty (7) and Hodge (0), with Carty and Hodge’s wickets leaving him on a hat-trick.
Hingorani 26 (1×4) and Clarke (10) repaired the damage, pushing the score to 60, before Clarke was lbw to Sankar and Hingorani run-out looking for a third run after Louis had chased a ball down to long leg, at 64 for 6.
Even though Louis 29 (2×4) and Martina 14 (1×4) scored briskly, the home team were not to be denied victory and they achieved same when Ramcharran removed both Louis, who holed out to Hetmyer at long on and Joseph (8) off successive deliveries, to start Guyana’s match against Trinidad and Tobago today, on a hat-trick.