On a ground on which he captured 15-149 against Trinidad & Tobago in his last Regional match at Providence earlier this year, West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo followed up his 3-31 in the first innings to grab 4-67 and match figures of 7-98 to lead the Guyana Jaguars to an emphatic innings and 10 runs win against the Leeward Islands on the penultimate day of their opening WICB four-day First-Class Franchise match yesterday.
Devendra Bishoo bowls during his 4-67.
Set 249 to make the Jaguars bat a second time, the Leewards fell for 239 forty-two minutes before the scheduled 17:00hrs close to win with over a day remaining despite a spirited late order fight back by the Islanders hunting their fifth First-Class title and first since 1998 when they shared it with Guyana.
This was the 10th time in 35 matches that Guyana have beaten the Leewards since they last beat them by 234 runs in 2012 and the victory was sweet revenge for their loss earlier this year when two sides met in Antigua.
Scores: Guyana Jaguars (343), L/Wards 94 & 239.
After left-arm seamer Raymond Reifer took out the openers to finish with 2-48 and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul had 2-38 to support Bishoo, the South Americans were frustrated by an entertaining 102-runs seventh wicket stand between Jahmar Hamilton, who made 74 from 163 minutes and 111 balls with 11 fours and Test pacer Gavin Tonge, whose 49 included five fours and two sixes and lasted 95 minutes and 73 balls. The visitors were aided by five dropped catches by the Jaguars yesterday.
Orlando Peters chipped in with 36 and added 29 with skipper Devon Thomas (23) after left-handed opener Austin Richards had made a cameo 26-ball 24 at the top of the order.
The Leewards, four without loss overnight following on, started in horrendous fashion when Reifer, who bowled a testing opening spell, trapped Lyndel Richardson LBW for a duck with the second ball of the day.
Richards counterattacked and hammered Reifer for consecutive boundaries before caressing pacer Ronsford Beaton, who was born in the Leeward Island of Montserrat, for another four. The Antiguan was not finished yet and a cover drive off Barbadian Reifer was absolutely majestic.
However, Reifer had the last laugh when he had Richards LBW at 31-2 before Akeem Saunders (16) who was put down at Gully by Permaul off Beaton, was smartly stumped by Anthony Bramble off Bishoo at 69-3 and by Lunch the Leewards 74-3.
After the interval, the handful of fans in the stands on a sun drenched Sunday afternoon watched as Thomas missed a sweep at Permaul and was struck in front to end a promising stand with Peters to leave the Leewards on 98-4.
Peters was dropped at gully by Assad Fudadin off Bishoo on 29 but did not take advantage of his good fortune and was soon LBW to Permaul after reaching the boundary six times and Leewards had dug themselves into a hole at 109-5.
Jacques Taylor was beaten in the flight and bowled for a duck at 118-6 by Deonarine and the contest seemed heading for completion well before Tea on a track which surprisingly played better on the third day.
However, the 24-year-old St Thomas born Hamilton who now resides in Anguilla was joined by Antiguan Tonge and together they launched a vicious attack on the Jaguars bowlers being especially rough on Deonarine and Reifer.
The 31-year old Tonge jumped into Reifer and hit him back over his head for a one bounce four before dumping him into an empty Mound Stand two balls later as the 50 partnership came up from just 42 minutes.
Hamilton, put down by Fudadin off Reifer, smashed Deonarine for a straight boundary and stroked him magnificently for consecutive fours through cover, while Tonge launched into Permaul and hit him for a huge six before smashing Beaton for a stunning off-side boundary as the 100 partnership came up from 89 minutes off 146 balls.
But just when it looked as if the home team would have to bat again and the match would have been extended into the final day, Tonge top edged an injudicious sweep at Bishoo and was taken by Chris Barnwell, running back from slip to leave the Islanders on 220-7.
Tonge fell one short of his sixth fifty at this level and his face-saving knock went in vain as Bishoo got rid of Yannick Leonard (1) and Anthony Martin (5) and Hamilton’s accomplished 74 was ended when he was bowled by Barnwell. Deonarine was named Man-of-the Match for his unbeaten 110.
Guyana play their next match at the same venue when they face-off with the Windwards Volcanoes from Friday.
(Taken from Kaieteur News, by Sean Devers)