By Marlon Munroe
Guyana lost to Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) by three wickets after a series of dropped catches at crucial times of the game in the WICB Senior Women’s Challenge 50-over tournament at the Police Sports Club ground yesterday.
While Guyana’s bowling was restrictive for the most part, their catching was suspect with Captain Zaheeda Samdally flooring two catches, including one off of her own bowling in the latter part of the game when Guyana still had a fighting chance. Katana Mentore also dropped a simple catch off the bowling of Samdally.
The TT batters had earlier on laid the foundation with a solid opening stand of 61 from 20.1 overs through Amanda Samaroo (29) and Sharda Saroop (15) as they chased 161 for victory.
Player of the match, Britney Cooper, with her solid technique and sensible batting, eventually saw T&T to 161-7 from 47.1 overs.
Guyana won the toss and chose to bat.
Openers June Thomas and Davanie Seenarine set the platform with a 75-run partnership.
While there was some amount of indecision in the running, especially by Thomas, the scoring rate was considerably higher than that of T&T.
Seenarine played the more aggressive innings before she attempted the sweep shot that had previously brought her success and was caught at short fine leg for 33 by Gaitri Seetahal off the bowling of Anissa Mohammed. Her knock included four boundaries from 55 balls.
Thomas continued and with the stylish Shemaine Campbell added 15 more runs to Guyana’s total, which eventually included 26 extras.
However, at this time the T&T off-spinners had stemmed the free flow of runs when Thomas was bowled by Alisa Mohammed, the twin sister of Anissa, for 35 (90-2) which was laced with two boundaries from 86 balls in the 27th over.
Campbell departed shortly after for 6 (96-3) when she was caught behind by captain and wicketkeeper Marissa Aguilera off the bowling of Anissa in the 29th over.
Darlene Gale started to look threatening, in partnership with Tremayne Smartt, when she hoisted Seetahal for six over long-on in the 43rd over, the first boundary since the 14th over.
However, Smartt was dismissed for 17 (130-4) when Aguilera took a brilliantly executed one-handed catch off the bowling of medium pacer Stacy Ann King to break a 34-run partnership in the 40th over.
Prudence Williams (0) was next to go at 133-5 in the 41st over.
Gale featured in another partnership with Mentore (unbeaten on eight) before she was caught at extra cover by Samaroo off the bowling of the energetic Kirbyina Alexander for 30 (150-6), which included one maximum off Seetahal in the 47th over. Guyana lost Samdally (1) caught at cover by Seetahal off King in the 48th over (153-7) leaving Mentore and Subrina Munroe to see Guyana to 160.
Anissa Mohammed finished with 2-20 (10) whilst King ended with 2-33 (10). ‘Superwoman’ Alexander, Alisa Mohammed and Seetahal each picked up a wicket apiece.
In T&T’s response Samaroo and Saroop’s defenses were solid as they played each ball on its merit picking up the singles and the odd boundary. Left handed Saroop for the most part struggled against right-handed medium-pacer Samdally especially when she bowled over the wicket.
Saroop eventually attempted a cheeky single to a ball played at point by Samaroo and was run out by Joann Vansertima for 15 (61-1) in the 21st over. Samaroo followed five runs later when she was bowled by Smartt playing across the line and had her off-stump uprooted in the 22nd over.
Samdally used her bowlers wisely completely restricting T&T at one point to singles but Guyana’s indiscipline came when they gave away 34 extras.
T&T reached their hundred in the 32nd over but soon after Seetahal was bowled by Munroe for 6 (107-4).
Cooper was the glue that held T&T’s innings together as wickets started to fall. However, it was Guyana’s own undoing that caused them the match when they started putting down easy catches at very important junctures of the game.
Samdally and Smart grabbed 2-27 (7.1) and 2-28 (10) respectively whilst Munroe and Campbell took one wicket each.
Meanwhile, in the other match played at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground Grenada clinically disposed of St. Vincent and the Grenadines by 123 runs in the low-scoring match. St. Vincent, winning the toss sent Grenada in to bat and they scored 176-8 with Clea Hoyte top-scoring with 48.
Samantha Lynch made 34 and Cordell Jack, 21. In reply, Grenada were skittled out for 53. Bowling for St. Vincent, Marlyn Nelson took 3-19 (10). Helen Hunt, Debbie-Ann Lewis and Afy Fletcher grabbed one wicket apiece.
Jack was the pick of the Grenada bowlers with 3-13 (7) while Sheree Ann John grabbed 3-15 (6).
