By Calvin Roberts
@ Combermere School Ground, Bush Hall, Barbados
Compliments of: Ansa McAl Limited, Cummings Electrical, P&P Insurance, Lifetime Realty, Hanes (Guyana) Limited and Cellular Planet
Dalton Polius with 4-48 and an unbeaten 24 along with Kerron Cottoy who took 5-9, helped the Windward Islands capture first innings points from defending champions Guyana at the end of the first day of their second-round fixture of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)/TCL-sponsored 2008 regional Under-19 tournament at the Combermere Secondary School ground, Bush Hall, Barbados yesterday.
At the close of play the Windward Islands were 120-3 in reply to Guyana’s meagre first innings score of 118.
Polius and Junior Jervier are each not out on 24.
The Windward Islands began their reply 60 minutes before tea and, at the interval, were 16-0 with Wayne Harper on six and Dennis Smith two.
Upon resumption, the two batsmen added a further 51 runs for the first wicket.
Smith was severe against the slower bowlers especially Totaram Bishun whom he struck for three boundaries in one over with the third boundary bringing up the 50 which took 62 minutes.
However, when well set Harper went after a wide delivery from Bishun and was caught by La Fleur low down to his left at first slip.
He made 27 from 85 balls and struck four fours whilst batting for 82 minutes.
The Windwards lost their second wicket when Smith was brilliantly caught by Jonathan Foo at first slip for 32. He struck five fours whilst batting for 95 minutes and facing 83 balls.
Kaveem Hodge was next to go caught by a diving La Fleur at first slip off Bishun for four as the Windwards slipped to 71-3.
Polius attempted to ease the shackles brought on by the slower bowlers when he hoisted Bishun over long on for six, the first of the match. He then got an outside edge to a delivery from La Fleur that went past Foo at first slip and down to the third man boundary for another boundary.
Jervier got into the act by sweeping Foo to fine leg for four but could consider himself lucky to still be there after surviving two chances off Bishun and Foo respectively the second of which came in the final over of the day when wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble failed to hold onto a leg side chance off Foo.
Bishun, 2-59 and La Fleur has 1-15 are the wicket-takers.
Earlier, Guyana failed to negotiate the spin of Cottoy and Polius and were dismissed 70 minutes after the luncheon interval for 118.
The collapse was surprising given the fact that they were comfortably placed at 74-2 half an hour before the break.
Sent in to bat on a good wicket for batting and a slow outfield, the defending champions lost two wickets within the first hour of play including that of the dangerous Jeetendra Sookdeo with the score on 50.
Openers Trevon Griffith and Royan Fredericks started positively. Griffith blasted Vincent Lewis through point for four while Fredericks struck Delorn Johnson through midwicket and wide long on for successive boundaries.
However, attempting to hit Lewis over mid-off when on 15, he picked out Windward’s captain Cottoy. He faced 12 deliveries whilst batting for 13 minutes and hitting two fours and Guyana were 23-1.
Sookdeo joined Griffith and they posted 27 for the second wicket with some audacious drives and pulls off the fast bowlers.
Sookdeo, who came off the mark by turning Lewis through forward square for a single, opened his shoulders and struck Oscar George, who replaced Lewis, from the Northern End over midwicket for four.
Griffith then drove a delivery from George all along the ground for another four while Sookdeo struck Polius over mid- on for four to post the team’s 50 from 14.1 overs.
He then went down the track but was beaten in the flight and smartly stumped by wicketkeeper Dennis Smith for 15 made from 36 balls and 46 minutes with two fours.
New batsman Seon Hetmyer was lucky not to lose his wicket when Alton Audain, who was stationed at mid-off, failed to hold onto a lofted drive before he had scored.
He then struck George through midwicket for four while Griffith got into the act by hitting Polius over mid-on for four.
Hetmyer was given another chance when on 11 as Johnson failed to hold onto a catch at short midwicket with the score 74-2.
Polius, who was troubling the batsmen with his flight and variation, then had Griffith caught at cover by Lewis for 30.
He faced 80 balls and struck three fours whilst batting for 112 minutes.
New batsman Foo struck Polius through the cover area to open his account, but it soon became 81-4 when Hetmyer pushed tentatively forward to Cottoy and was caught by Harper at first slip for 12.
He faced 48 balls and struck one four whilst batting for 57 minutes.
At lunch Guyana were 81-4 from 30 overs with Foo on four and captain Eugene La Fleur yet to score.
The Windward Islands struck off the first ball of the second over upon resumption when La Fleur was bowled by his opposite number Cottoy without scoring.
He faced three balls and from a comfortable position of 74-2, the defending champions were 85-5 two overs after lunch with Foo on eight and wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble yet to score.
It was 94-7 following the dismissals of Foo, who was caught by Lewis at mid-off as he attempted to sweep at the leg spin of Cottoy for 10 and Bramble, who offered a hard return catch to Polius who gleefully accepted.
Cottoy then had Keon Joseph stumped by Smith for three while Polius knocked back Bishun’s off stump before he had scored to leave Guyana on 105-9.
Herman Latcha and Leon Scott added 13 runs for the last wicket before Scott was caught at silly mid-off by Rudolph Paul without scoring leaving Latcha unbeaten on 20 from 51 balls decorated with two fours.
