Skipper Shimron Hetmyer blazed an unbeaten half-century yesterday as his team secured a draw against the Leon Johnson XI after four days of high-intensity cricket played at the Georgetown Cricket Club Ground.
The match was the first of two organised by the Cricket Guyana Inc (CGI) Franchise as part of the Guyana Jaguars ongoing pre-season camp, ahead of the 2015/16 Professional Cricket League (PCL) 4-day tournament which bowls off on November 6.
Johnson XI all-rounder Chris Barnwell played a mature hand for his 58 from 109 balls which featured seven fours and lasted 170 minutes.
Assad Fudadin (82) departed minutes before stumps on the third day while Shiv Chanderpaul (38) and Anthony Bramble (28*) were the other lead scorers for the Johnson XI who declared on 259-8 with a lead 331 in their second innings.
Pacer Raun Johnson who bagged 3-29 first innings, picked up 2-43 in the second ending with 5-72. Leg-spinner Steven Sankar was expensive but captured 2-64 for the Hetmyer XI. Replying, Hetmyer’s team were 123 for 1 but still trailed by 209, with the skipper unbeaten on 76 from 80 balls with nine fours and one six and Tevin Imlach also unbeaten on 30 with three fours.
The second innings pursuit began with Robin Bacchus (12) who looked solid but failed to carry on and was caught behind by Bramble off a lively delivery from Ronsford Beaton. The pacer then ruffled the feathers of young Imlach who required a brief visit from the physiotherapist but nevertheless carried on his innings. Hetmyer continued to strike the ball firmly and reached 50 while Imlach played second fiddle as the innings ended.
Resuming on 125-3 with Chanderpaul on 14 and Singh on 4, the speedster Johnson quickly removed Cheesy (14) and Raymon Reifer (00), who were both caught behind. Chanderpaul seemed to be on course to a half-century until Sankar removed his wicket.
At 164-6, Bramble who had joined Barnwell minutes before lunch was dropped on duck by Kandasammy Surujnarine off spinner Raj Nannan’s bowling.
The two right-handers extended the lead to 247 at lunch with the team score on 175-6.
The first ball of the over after lunch bowled by Sankar was thumped for four by Barnwell as the huge lead continued to increase. The leg-spinner continued to leak runs as the two batters milked ones and twos while picking up the odd boundary off some loose bowling.
Barnwell made up for his near miss in the first innings when he was out on 47 by achieving his half century but was then undone by some pace from Joseph after walking across the stumps. Buffy continued to crank up the pace against new man Steven Jacobs who picked up his first boundary with an attacking cut through backward-point.
He was then knocked over by Javon Searles in the following over, after inexplicably leaving a delivery which shaped into his stumps, as the Johnson XI declared. The 344 all out by Johnson’s XI in the first innings can be credited to Singh’s 123 and Johnson’s 61, also to the three and two wickets taken by Johnson and Joseph respectively. Hetmyer’s first innings were led by Boodie’s blistering 130 and a breezy 53 from the skipper while spinners Permaul and Jacobs shared six wickets between themselves.
The next match is set to bowl off on October 26 at the Guyana National Stadium.
