By Avenash Ramzan
On another rain-affected day at Providence, the Guyana Jaguars, two-time defending champions, made huge strides in the playing periods between showers to walk away with a 10-wicket win over Trinidad and Tobago Red Force.
It was the Jaguars second win of the season, coming in the fifth round of the West Indies Cricket Board’s Professional Cricket League Digicel Four-day competition. The Jaguars’ effort on the final day was led by their champion spinner, Veerasammy Permaul, who bagged his 20th five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket.
Resuming on 95-2 and looking to clear 216 to avoid an innings defeat, Red Force were dismissed just before the scheduled tea break for 235.
Jaguars, faced with a meagre target of 20 in heavily overcast conditions, completed the formalities in just 2.4 overs with Shimron Hetmyer hitting two fours and six in 17 not out and Rajendra Chandrika ending on four.
Earlier, Red Force innings never gained momentum, as they lost wickets at regular intervals during the day. There were hardly any partnership of substance, the highest being 39 for the sixth wicket between Yannic Cariah and Yannick Ottley.
While Red Force were no doubt hoping for rain to save their blushes, Jaguars were sweating at the prospects of not being able to complete the job. However, left-arm spinner Permaul delivered for the home team, claiming 5-53 from 28 overs to end with match-figures of 9-83.
Fast bowler Keon Joseph and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie took two wickets each, as Isiah Rajah topscored with 63. Kyle Hope made 40, Jason Mohammed 36, Cariah 27 and Ottley 21. Final scores in the match: Red Force 162 and 235; Jaguars 378 and 21-0.
The win has solidified the Jaguars position at the top half of the points table at the end of the fifth round. The competition will now take a break for the holiday season and also to facilitate the staging of the Regional Super50 in early 2017.
It will resume next March with the final five rounds. With not much separating the teams, it should be an intense battle for the title of champions of the 2016/2017 regional first-class season. (See scoreboard below)
Red Force 1st innings 162
Guyana Jaguars 1st innings 378
Red Force 2nd innings
Kyle Hope c Hetmyer b Joseph 40
Imran Khan lbw Joseph 3
Isiah Rajah c wkp Bramble b Permaul 63
Khary Pierre c Johnson b Motie 5
Jason Mohammed c wkp Bramble b Reifer 36
Yannic Cariah lbw Permaul 27
Yannick Ottley c wkp Bramble b Permaul 21
Roshon Primus c (sub) T Chanderpaul b Motie 11
Steven Katwaroo c wkp Bramble b Permaul 7
Marlon Richards c Hetmyer b Permaul 7
Jon-Russ Jagessar not out 0
Extras (b-4, lb-1, w-1, nb-9) 15
Total (all out; 95 overs) 235
Bowling: Keon Joseph 14-4-38-2, Raymon Reifer 9-0-30-1, Gudakesh Motie 36-11-92-2, Christopher Barnwell 6-1-7-0, Veerasammy Permaul 28-14-53-5, Leon Johnson 2-0-10-0
Guyana Jaguars 2nd innings (Target: 20)
Shimron Hetmyer not out 17
Rajendra Chandrika not out 4
Total (for no wicket; 2.4 overs) 21
Bowling: Jon-Russ Jagessar 1-0-15-0, Kyle Hope 1-0-1-0, Isiah Rajah 0.4-0-5-0
