CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Leon Johnson and Tagenarine Chanderpaul staged a fight-back for Guyana, after Chadwick Walton collected his third first-class century to put the Combined Campuses in command in the Regional Four-Day Championship here Sunday.
Johnson was not out on 35 and Chanderpaul, son of durable West Indies left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, was unbeaten on 32, as the Guyanese reached 82 for one at the close on the third day of their fourth round match at the 3Ws Oval, still 46 runs in arrears.
But Walton held centre stage for the first half of the evening however, resolutely batting to finish with 107 that allowed CCC to declare their first innings on 391 for nine about 45 minutes before tea in the day/night affair.
The Jamaica-born wicketkeeper/batsman reached his milestone from 188 balls in emphatic fashion, when he deposited a short delivery from leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo into the Students’ Union parking lot with a crunching pull high over square leg for his second six.
It was the second hundred of the CCC innings following the top score of 176 from opener and fellow Jamaican Shacaya Thomas.
Walton also shared an eighth wicket stand of 67 with left-hander Kevin McClean, whose 33 frustrated the visitors, after they made inroads into the home team’s batting, leaving them 310 for seven.
CCC then had relatively early success, when they fielded for the second time as left-handed opener Assad Fudadin was lbw for eight, playing back and across to a full-length delivery from McClean about 15 minutes before tea.
Guyana were 26 for one at tea and good fortune smiled on Johnson soon after the resumption, when Akeem Dewar muffed a skier at square leg from a miscued hook off McClean, after he had scored five.
Johnson remained composed following this blemish and batted for close to 2-½ hours until stumps were drawn sharing 66 for the second wicket with the younger Chanderpaul, to give the visitors a boost.
Two crisp cuts off CCC captain Steven Jacobs, bowling his off-spin, and a searing cover drive off McClean, brought him his three boundaries.
Chanderpaul broke periods of consolidation with an upper cut off McClean for his first boundary, an authentic cut off left-arm fast-medium bowler Raymon Reifer for his second and a languid on-drive off Ryan Austin’s off-spin for his third.
Earlier, Walton similarly endured the instability around him to fashion a purposeful hundred earned CCC valuable batting points.
He started the day on 27, but had to play second fiddle to Thomas, whose maiden first-class hundred included 14 fours and fours sixes from 274 balls in 5-½ hours, before the pugnacious opener was lbw to left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, leaving the home team on 278 for four.
Jacobs looked nervous before he was caught at mid-on off Permaul for just four from a mistimed lofted on-drive, Kavem Hodge played back and across and was lbw to Bishoo for nine, and Akeem Dewar was lbw for two playing forward to Permaul, as the hosts stumbled to 310 for seven.
But McClean came to the crease and disrupted Guyana’s plans with Walton for close to 1-½ hours either side of lunch, which arrived with CCC on 330 for seven.
After the interval, there was a clear sense of urgency and Walton, with a reputation in this tournament for quick scoring, accelerated to reach his landmark before McClean was caught behind off Bishoo edging a forcing back-foot drive. Walton followed caught at gully from a similar shot off Raun Johnson to prompt the declaration.
CCC have so far earned six points (three bowling points and three batting points) and Guyana have secured five (two batting points and three bowling points).
Both CCC, last on the seven-team table on 10 points, and Guyana, sixth on 13 points, will be looking to push their first victory of the season on the final – and both have reason to feel confident.
CCC have not lost any of the three previous home matches they have played against the Guyanese, who will be looking to extend their winning streak against their hosts to three straight.
