By Sean Devers (Kaieteur News)

Shemron Hetymer stroked an entertaining 84 before he again threw away his wicket with a reckless shot while the talented Kemo Paul chalked up his fourth fifty in five innings as three-day champions Guyana took an unassailable lead in the seven team competition with a 114 run win against Windward Islands at Albion yesterday in the penultimate round of the Regional 50-over Under-19 cricket tournament.

Hetymer and Taignarine Chanderpaul (43) put together 129 for the first wicket before Paul’s blazing 51 ensured Guyana galloped to 276-5 when their 50 overs expired. A quick-fire unbeaten 13-ball 30 from Renaldo Mohamed and a cameo 28 from Askay Homraj pushed the hosts to the highest total in this year’s tournament.

Fast bowlers Sherman Lewis (2-72) and Ryan John (2-54) were the leading wicket takers for the Islanders who responded with 162 all out off 41.3 overs despite an attacking 43 from Kershaskie Jno Lewis, who hit four fours and a six.

Skipper Roland Cato (38) and John (33) also offered some support while Balchand Baldeo took 3-35 and Sharaz Ramcharran (2-26), the main wicket takers for the Guyanese. On a sun drenched day in the Agricultural setting of Albion, Hetymer and Chanderpaul feasted on the Windwards bowling on a pitch-tailor made for batting and an outfield which looked in top condition.

Such was the easy nature of the track that Chanderpaul waited on the back foot and pulled John to the wide mid-on boundary before fellow West Indies Under-19 left-hander Hetymer stroked Lewis majestically behind point for four before smashing the pacer back past his ankles for another scorching boundary in the over to set the tempo for a solid foundation.
On the biggest ground of the tournament with a cool breeze rippling through the branches of the Coconut trees surrounding the ground, Hetymer rocked back and brutally pulled off-spinner Gidron Pope for four as the 50 was posted in the 12th over as the pair batted intelligently and ran aggressively between the wickets.

Watched by a handful of spectators at a venue which recently acquired floodlights, Berbician Hetymer reached his second consecutive fifty from 49 balls with five fours while Chanderpaul was content the play second fiddle in the century partnership.

Spinners Deron Hypolite and Popes put the brakes on rapid scoring with controlled spells under a cloudless blue sky in sweltering heat as Hetymer curbed his natural aggressive instinct and played each ball on its merit with a refreshing display of level-headed batting.

Chanderpaul mixed caution with aggression and whipped Hypolite for a delightful boundary as the partnership flourished. The 100 was posted in 24.4 overs before Chanderpaul elegantly danced into Hypolite and effortlessly deposited him a couple of bounces into the long-on boundary.
Heytmer however, seemed to be losing concentration before eventually hitting a full toss from Lewis high to mid-on as he threw away another possible century with an impetuous shot when well set. His innings lasted 115 balls and was decorated with six fours and, for the umpteenth time in his fledging career Hetymer had orchestrated his own demise.

Hetymer’s dismissal came at 144-2 and brought Paul, Guyana’s most consistent cricketer to join his Skipper, Brian Sattaur whose wretched run continued as he was dismissed for 16 by John after striking two fours to leave the hosts on 167-3.

Homraj and Paul put together 60 from 37 balls for the fourth wicket as Paul launched a merciless assault on the bowling with a stunning 32-ball 51 with two fours and two sixes. Paul, the tournament’s leading scorer, reached his half-century with a colossal six off John, who had the last laugh when the 16-old Essequibian tried to repeat the shot and hold out to long-on at 227-4.

Homraj reached the boundary twice in his entertaining innings before he was removed by Lewis in the dying stages of the innings. Renaldo Mohamed who clobbered two huge sixes in his undefeated knock and Kemol Savory (7*) then saw their team to the end.

When the Windwards began their reply they lost both of their openers to be 14-2 and never recovered although Melvin Gordon, who was run out for 20 at 66-3 and Lewis, who was dismissed at 90-4, offered some resistance.
Cato and John added 66 to take the score from 90 to 156 before they were removed in the space of a run before wickets fell at regular intervals. Paul, who separated the openers, bowled with genuine pace on a flat track while Guyana’s spin attack never released the pressure and kept the shackles on the batsmen throughout the Windwards innings.

Today, Guyana on 30.3 points, play their final preliminary match against Barbados at Providence while second placed Jamaica (on 21.8 points) face the Windwards and even if they win and their pacers take all 10 wickets they will not have enough points to overtake Guyana.

They will however qualify for the final and meet Guyana, who will today be declared double champions since according to the playing conditions of the Tournament seven teams will be participating (Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and ICC Americas U21).

“The competition will be played on a Round- Robin basis (with each team playing each other once) the winner of the tournament will be the team with the highest aggregate of points at the end of the tournament” The playing conditions added.