BAYFIELD, Barbados, CMC – An invaluable 47-run fifth wicket stand steadied Guyana and helped them to a cautious five-wicket win over Jamaica in their opening match in the Regional Under-19 one-day Championship campaign here today.
Chasing 199 for victory after Delbert Gayle (73 not out) and opener Oshane Walters (66) fashioned half-centuries, Guyana lost their top-scorer Tagenarine Chanderpaul for 58 to leave the game delicately poised at 149 for four in the 39th over.
However, Ricardo Adams and Mohan Ramdeen calmed their side’s nerves while frustrating Jamaica’s, as they meticulously went about carrying Guyana to victory at the St Catherine Sports Club in the eastern parish of St Philip.
Adams stroked 44 from 56 balls and hit two fours while Ramdeen was unbeaten on a brisk 22 from 23 balls, when Guyana reached their target with four overs to spare.
Earlier, Jamaica recovered from a middle order collapse to reach a respectable total, thanks to an unbroken eighth wicket partnership of 92 between Gayle and Raghni Francis (18 not out).
With Jamaica in danger of collapse at 102 for seven in the 32nd over, Gayle played a blinder, hammering five fours and two sixes off 64 balls.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai was the best bowler with three for 35.
Chanderpaul, the son of Test star Shiv Chanderpaul, then anchored Guyana’s run chase with an innings requiring 95 balls with two fours, and consuming nearly two-and-a-half hours.
He was at the centre of two early partnerships, adding 45 for the first wicket with Shimron Hetmeyer (31) and a further 62 for the second wicket with Chandrapaul Hemraj (17).
Hetmeyer struck three fours and a six in a breezy 30-ball innings to dominate the stand before falling lbw to off-spinner Delbert Gayle in the seventh over.
When Hemraj was run out in the 25th over, Guyana lost three wickets for 42 runs off 82 balls as Jamaica dried up the runs.
Jamaica were off to the worst possible start after being sent in, losing Kerry Holness without scoring with the score on three in the third over.
Walters and Odaine McCatty (12) put on a careful 50 off 90 balls for the second wicket before Jamaica lost four wickets for 26 runs in the space of 47 balls.
With Jamaica tottering at 79 for five in the 26th over, Walters and Brandon King (7) halted the haemorrhaging with a small 21-run, sixth wicket stand before the floodgates opened again.
Both batsmen fell in successive balls in the 32nd over, Walters bowled by Hemraj and King run out. Walters faced 96 balls and counted four fours and a six.
Gayle then took centre stage with his explosive innings with Francis in support.
