Austin, Dewar spin CCC to crucial victory

CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Spin duo Ryan Austin and Akeem Dewar shared eight wickets to propel Combined Campuses and Colleges to a seven-wicket victory over Guyana in the Regional Four-Day tournament on Monday here.

Off-spinner Austin ended with the flattering figures of four for 22 from 26.5 overs and leg-spinner Dewar grabbed four for 61 from 26 overs, as the Guyanese were bowled out for 173 in their second innings on the final day of the fourth round match at the 3Ws Oval.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul gathered the top score of 43 for the visitors, whose captain Leon Johnson supported with 36, veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagenarine’s dad, made 26 and fellow left-hander Chandrapaul Hemraj got 22.

Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul tried to weave a spell and snared two wickets, as the CCC then lost three wickets en route to a modest target of 46 for victory.

First innings century-maker Chadwick Walton formalised the CCC’s first victory of the season, when he swung a delivery from leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo high over mid-wicket for six.

The result earned the home team 18 points, including three batting points and three bowling points, and winless Guyana collected four points comprising two batting points and two bowling points.

In the next round, CCC travel to Port of Spain and face hosts Trinidad & Tobago at Queen’s Park Oval, while the Guyanese have drawn a “bye”.

Starting the day on 82 for one, Guyana were setback in the first half hour, when Johnson was caught at leg-slip off Dewar and Narsingh Deonarine, the fourth of six straight left-handers in the top-order, was caught behind for a first-ball duck.

The Golden Arrows were 86 for three and this brought Hemraj to the crease to hold the CCC up for the next hour with the younger Chanderpaul.

But Dewar, extracting variable bounce and turn from the worn pitch, had the younger Chanderpaul caught at leg-slip, giving Corbin the second of close catches behind the stumps, as Guyana reached 139 for four at lunch.

After the interval, Hemraj continued the fight with the elder Chanderpaul, taking their side to the 150-run threshold before Austin had him caught at slip about 15 minutes in the second period.

This triggered a collapse that exposed the remainder of the batting and brought an end to the Guyanese resistance about an hour later.

The elder Chanderpaul was caught behind four overs later, when he inside-edged a delivery from Austin onto his pads and the ball ricocheted behind the stumps to ‘keeper Walton.

Christopher Barnwell was caught at slip for 11 off Dewar from a delivery that leapt from a fullish length and took the glove and Bishoo was bowled for a first-ball duck offering no stroke to the next delivery from the CCC’s Jamaica-born leg-spinner.

There was a bit of good fortune for Guyana two balls later, when mid-on fielder Kavem Hodge dropped Permaul on nought off the same bowler.

But Austin put Anthony Bramble out of commission, when he had him caught behind for eight, essaying a forcing back-foot drive, and brought the innings to a conclusion when Hodge redeemed himself by holding a swirling catch at deep square leg to remove Raun Johnson for a duck.