KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Leeward Islands sneaked into the semi-finals of the WICB One-Day Championship yesterday, after beating Guyana by 13 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis Method, in a rain-affected affair at Sabina Park.
Bowled out for a hardly imposing 179 off 39.4 overs after being sent in, Leewards then reduced Guyana to 95 for five off 23 overs before the weather intervened.
With the game on a knife’s edge, the weather never improved and Guyana found themselves short of the par score of 106 when umpires Vivian Johnson and Lennox Abraham called off the encounter.
The result meant Leewards finished second in Group B to Barbados on six points and will play Windward Islands in tomorrow first semi-final.
Following a near two-hour delay because of a damp pitch, Javier Liburd and Montcin Hodge gave Leewards a rousing start, posting 38 from 31 balls for the first wicket.
Liburd struck two fours and one six in 16 from 15 balls while Hodge thumped four fours in 31 from 61 balls.
When Liburd drove off-spinner Steven Jacobs (3-21) low to Richard Ramdeen at mid-off in the sixth over, it sparked a slide which saw six wickets tumble for 54 runs, as the Leewards collapsed to 92 for six in the 25th over.
Jahmar Hamilton then stroked a cameo 37 from 27 balls with one four and four sixes, and shared a handsome 47 from 28 balls for the seventh wicket with Justin Athanaze (15) to revive the innings.
Royston Crandon (2-18), Narsingh Deonarine (2-41) and Devendra Bishoo (2-42) all finished with two wickets apiece.
Guyana then got off to a horrid start as seamer Gavin Tonge (2-20) and leg-spinner Anthony Martin (3-5) ripped through the top order to leave them rocking at 28 for five in the ninth over.
After reaching 19 without loss, the Guyanese lost Chris Barnwell for seven in the fourth over and captain Ramaresh Sarwan perished the very next delivery, bowled after being squared up.
Wickets continued to tumble before Royston Crandon’s 43 from 59 balls with five fours and a six, halted the slide but the rain had other ideas.
Scoreboard
LEEWARDS
J Liburd c Ramdeen b Jacobs 16
M Hodge c & b Bishoo 31
C Hughes c E Crandon b Jacobs 0
S Liburd c E Crandon b Jacobs 1
G Williams c Barnwell b R Crandon 2
*W Cornwall lbw b Bishoo 22
+J Hamilton c Jacobs b Deonarine 37
J Athanaze b R Crandon 15
G Tonge lbw b Deonarine 5
L Baker not out 17
A Martin b E Crandon 13
Extras (b6, w13, nb1) 20
TOTAL (all out, 39.4 overs) 179
Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-38, 3-52, 4-58, 5-71, 6-92, 7-139, 8-148, 9-149, 10-179.
Bowling: E Crandon 5.4-0-28-1, Barnwell 2-0-23-0, Jacobs 8-3-21-3, R Crandon 8-1-18-2, Bishoo 8-0-42-2, Deonarine 8-0-41-2.
GUYANA
C Barnwell c S Liburd b Tonge 7
R Ramdeen lbw b Martin 14
*R Sarwan b Tonge 0
L Johnson lbw b Martin 1
N Deonarine c Hodge b Martin 6
S Chanderpaul not out 14
R Crandon not out 43
Extras (lb5, w3) 8
TOTAL (5 wkts, 23 overs) 93
Did not bat: E Crandon, S Jacobs, +A Bramble, D Bishoo.
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-19, 3-20, 4-23, 5-28.
Bowling: Baker 3-0-19-0, Tonge 4-0-20-2, Martin 6-3-5-3, Athanaze 6-0-18-0, Hughes 3-0-16-0, Cornwall 1-0-10-0.
Result: Leewards won by 13 runs.
Points: Leewards 4, Guyana 0.
Toss: Guyana.
Umpires: V Johnson, J Wilson.
