By: Calvin Roberts (Guyana Chronicle)

FOLLOWING a dismal bowling performance in Guyana’s first round game against the Leeward Islands, leg-spinner Steven Sankar snared 5 for 53 to bowl out Windward Islands for 165, enabling Guyana to complete a hard-fought four-wicket win in their second round West Indies Cricket Board Under-19 fixture at the Everest Cricket Club ground, yesterday.

Scores in the contest: Windward Islands 139 and 165, Guyana 243 and 64 for 6.
Resuming the day on 79 for 4, with skipper Roland Cato on 15 and Anson Latchman 12, the Windward Islands still needed another 25 runs to clear off their first-innings deficit of 104, after Guyana scored 243 on the back of Shimron Hetmyer’s 125, in reply to their 139.
They lost Latchman, who was run-out from wide long on by Ashkay Homraj, looking for a third run off the fourth delivery of the morning, before Cato, who struck both Kemo Paul and Balchand Baldeo for boundaries, added 41 valuable runs for the sixth wicket with Ryan John.
Sankar was introduced from the Carifesta Avenue end after four overs were bowled by Baldeo and bowled unchanged until the lunch break, removing both Cato and Dorian Edward (0) in successive overs, with Cato batting for 107 minutes in which he faced 110 balls and struck five fours in his 46.
Ramcharran later removed John, who was caught by a diving Tagenarine Chanderpaul at short mid-wicket for 21 and Sherman Lewis to leave the Windwards on 159 for 9 at lunch, with Deron Hypolite on 20 and Craig Phillip 1.
After the break, Guyana closed off the visitors’ innings for 165, when Hypolite was brilliantly caught by substitute fielder Keon Morris at forward short leg, off Sankar for his resilient 20 (67 mins, 53 balls, 2×4), leaving Craig Phillip, who had earlier punched Sankar for four, unbeaten on 7.
Ramcharran ended with 3 for 44 in support to Sankar, while Guyana, who needed 62 to complete an outright victory, lost first-innings centurion Shimron Hetmyer, who was caught by Melvin Gordon at midwicket off Phillip, before he had scored, at 3 for 1.
This brought skipper Brian Sattaur to the wicket and having failed to trouble the scorers in the first innings, cut loose with a four and six off Shemar Lewis, followed by a hat-trick of fours in Phillip’s second over of the innings, pushing the score to 33 for 1.
However, Guyana lost Tagenarine Chanderpaul (10), Sattaur 31 (32 balls, 4×4; 1×6) Kemo Paul (1) and Ramcharran (0) to slip from 48 for 1 to 50 for 5 in the space of 12 balls, which later became 56 for 6 when Baldeo was lbw to Sherman Lewis for 5.
A straight drive back past the ankles of Phillip from the bat of Homraj, sealed the win for the home team who ended on 64 for 6, with Homraj on 9 and Savory 1, six minutes before tea even as John (2 for 15) and Lewis (2 for 23) kept their team in the hunt for a come-from-behind victory.