By Calvin Roberts (Guyana Chronicle)

… Match interestingly poised

ANOTHER five-wicket haul from Devendra Bishoo, backed by an impressive spell of fast bowling from Keon Joseph yesterday, left the Guyana versus Trinidad and Tobago seventh-round encounter in the West Indies Cricket Board Regional four-day match at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, interestingly poised.

Scores Trinidad and Tobago 294 and 212 Guyana 282 and 17 for 1.
Bishoo took 6 for 71 to end with match figures of 15 for 149, his best overall to date while Joseph snared 4 for 55, dismissing Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) for 212 in their second innings, following a first-innings lead of 12 runs, as both Bishoo and Joseph shared all 20 wickets to fall for the opposition.
At the close of play, Guyana who were asked to score 225 to record their first victory of the tournament, were 17 for 1 with Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Bishoo on 3 and 0 respectively, needing another 218 to win from today’s play.
Earlier in the day, Guyana’s Zaheer Shadir who resumed his innings on 39 with Bishoo on 18 and Guyana 247 for 7, recorded his fourth first class half-century from 83 balls with six fours and one six, celebrating same with back-to-back fours off Ryad Emrit, who later had him caught by Amit Jaggernauth at extra cover.
Bishoo followed in the next over, as Emrit took the second new ball when Shadir was dismissed, reaping results as Shannon Gabriel knocked back Bishoo’s middle stump as the left-handed batsman went for an audacious drive at 275 for 9.
Despite an authoritative drive from Joseph through the cover region off Gabriel, Guyana lost Ronsford Beaton who was caught by Jaggernauth at second slip off Emrit for 1, leaving Joseph unbeaten on 5.
Emrit finished with 3 for 35 and Gabriel had 2 for 44 in support of Jaggernauth’s second-day 4 for 78 for T&T, who need to win this match outright to take the title. They raced to 37 without loss from the first 10 overs of their second innings.
Lendl Simmons 25 (30 balls 3×4) was first to go when he had his leg stump rocked back by a pumped-up Joseph, who took over the fast bowling role with ease, after Beaton left the field with an ankle injury, before Stephan Katwaroo and Darren Bravo added 34 for the second wicket.
Katwaroo got two fours off Trevon Griffith after lunch which was taken with the visitors on 49 for 1 – a lead of 61 – with the wicketkeeper/batsman on 18 and Bravo 4, while he got another boundary, this time off Joseph who was working up some pace.
The introduction of Bishoo, who tormented the Twin Island Republic batsmen in the first innings with his 9 for 78, saw the demise of Bravo who was lbw for 8, followed quickly by Katwaroo, who was also lbw to Joseph, leaving T&T on 77 for 3.
It became 99 for 4, when Evin Lewis who was forced to bat at number five due to an injury, was caught by Vishal Singh on the deep midwicket boundary off Bishoo for 12, which included two sixes struck off Bishoo and Joseph.
The T&T 100 was realised from 24.1 overs, but at 110 for 5, they lost Jonathan Augustus (2) who swept at and missed a googly from Bishoo, even as Jason Mohammed, who got two lives from Anthony Bramble off Bishoo, rubbed salt into the wounds with fours off Bishoo and Shadir.
Bishoo had the last laugh when Mohammed picked out Shadir at cover after contributing 33 to T&T’s total from 85minutes batting in which he faced 71 deliveries and struck three fours, while Emrit was deceived by a Bishoo googly and was bowled all over the place for 20 at 146 for 7.
Marlon Richards 25 (32 b, 2×6, 1×4) came to the fore and looked like a batsman possessed, hitting Bishoo over long on, followed by another six over the same area off Shadir, piercing a hole in one of the windows on the Media Centre building, before Joseph trapped him lbw with his first ball of his second spell.
Guyana, through Joseph and Bishoo, mopped up the tail, with Joseph removing Imran Khan for a resilient 29 (69 minutes, 50 balls, 3×4) while Bishoo had Jaggernauth lbw for 13 to end with his third best bowling figures at the first class level, following his first-innings 9 for 78 and 6 for 64 that he had taken two years ago.
Asked to score 225 for victory, Guyana lost Griffith who was lbw to Jaggernauth for 13, at 17 for 1, following which the umpires offered the batsmen bad light at 17:30hrs, which they gleefully accepted.

SCORECARD

T&T first innings 294
GUYANA first innings (o/n 247-7)
T. Griffith c wkp. Ketwaroo b Gabriel 23
T. Chanderpaul run-out (Augustus) 14
S. Hetmyer c Richards b Jaggernauth 0
L. Johnson c wkp. Ketwaroo b Jaggernauth 78
V. Singh c wkp. Ketwaroo b Jaggernauth 2
A. Bramble b Jaggernauth 16
C. Barnwell b Emrit 50
Z. Shadir c Jaggernauth b Emrit 58
D. Bishoo b Gabriel 27
R. Beaton c Jaggernauth b Emrit 1
K. Joseph not out 5
Extras: (b4-, lb-2, w-1, nb-1) 8
Total: (all out, off 92.3 overs) 282
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-37, 3-51, 4-59, 5-89, 6-169, 7-213, 8-275, 9-275.
Bowling: Gabriel 20-4-44-2 (w-1) Richards 4-0-21-0 Jaggernauth 24-5-78-4 Mohammed 14-3-27-0 (nb-1) Khan 21-3-67-0 Emrit 9.3-2-39-3.

T&T second innings
L. Simmons b Joseph 25
S. Ketwaroo lbw b Joseph 32
DM Bravo lbw b Bishoo 8
J. Mohammed c Shadir b Bishoo 33
E. Lewis c Singh b Bishoo 12
J. Augustus lbw b Bishoo 2
R. Emrit b Bishoo 20
I. Khan c Shadir b Joseph 29
M. Richards lbw b Joseph 25
A. Jaggernauth lbw b Bishoo 13
S. Gabriel not out 0
Extras: (b-8, lb-2, nb-3) 13
Total: (all out, off 59.4 overs) 212
Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-71, 3-77, 4-99, 5-110, 6-139, 7-145, 8-183, 9-212.
Bowling: Beaton 4-1-7-0, Joseph 14-4-55-4 (nb-3), Barnwell 2-0-11-0, Griffith 2-0-13-0, Bishoo 22.4-5-71-6, Shadir 15-1-45-0..

GUYANA second innings (Target 225)
T. Griffith lbw b Jaggernauth 13
T. Chanderpaul not out 3
D. Bishoo not out 0

Extras: (lb-1) 1
Total: (for 1 wkt, off 11 overs) 17
Fall of wickets: 1-17.
Bowling: Gabriel 3-1-2-0. Emrit 2-1-5-0 Jaggernauth 3-1-3-1, Mohammed 3-1-6-0.