Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
Tailender Daren Powell made a defiant 57 and he was last man out as Guyana defeated Jamaica by 51 runs in the Carib Beer Series match at Chedwin Park yesterday. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
JAMAICA'S CAMPAIGN in the 2005/2006 regional Carib Beer cricket series ended in disappointment at Chedwin Park yesterday when they were defeated by Guyana and in the process failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Challenge Shield.
Final score: Guyana 314 and 163, Jamaica 144 and 282.
Winners of the Cup and the Shield last year, Jamaica, after dropping out of the race for the Cup before the start of the match, are now without any hope of finishing in the top four and going on to contest the Challenge Shield.
With Barbados on 36 points from four matches, Trinidad and Tobago on 24 from four, Guyana also on 24 from four, the Windward Islands on 22 from four, and the Leeward Islands finishing on 13, Jamaica, on 12, ended in last position, and in doing so, suffered their worse performance in the regional competition since 1991 when they placed fifth - one from the bottom.
JAMAICA FALL SHORT
Set a victory target of 334 runs off 69 overs, Jamaica, losing their third match in a row, fell short by 51 runs despite a polished innings of 81 by Marlon Samuels, a solid innings of 41 by Christopher Gayle, a defiant innings of 47 by captain Wavell Hinds, and a swashbuckling 57 off 65 deliveries by Daren Powell who smashed five boundaries and shared in a last-wicket partnership of 45 with Jermaine Lawson.
With Donovan Pagon going for two at nine for one when he went back and hit a short delivery from fast bowler Reon King straight to Narsingh Deonarine at point, Gayle and Samuels, who reeled off some handsome drives and hit one lovely six over long-on off offspinner Deonarine, posted 94 off 20 overs as Jamaica, needing to score at a rate of 4.84 runs an over and with victory a must in their bid to stay in contention for a place in the semi-finals of the Challenge Shield, went in search of the improbable if not the impossible.
In two deliveries, however, Jamaica dropped from 103 for one to 103 for three in the 23rd over when Deonarine removed Gayle - the left-hander going caught on the long-off boundary by Krishna Arjune, and Tamar Lambert - the right-hander leaning forward and stroking a simple catch to Shivnarine Chanderpaul at mid-wicket.
BIG FEAR
With captain Hinds joining Samuels and stroking the ball well, the pair added 41 for the fourth wicket off seven overs as Jamaica continued the hunt and looked good doing so.
Jamaica's biggest fear, however, was the pitch, and after one delivery from pacer Esaun Crandon kept low and scared the daylights out of him, Samuels got one from right-arm legspinner Mahendra Nagamootoo that kept really low and bowled him.
That was 144 for four with Samuels gone after facing 99 deliveries, stroking eight fours and hitting one six, and when Carlton Baugh Jnr., promoted in the order in the batting order ahead of David Bernard Jnr. as Jamaica continued to go victory, swept at Deonarine and was bowled for 11 at 159 for five in the 33rd over, that was it as far as winning the match was concerned.
SCOREBOARD
GUYANA 1st Innings 314
JAMAICA 1st Innings 144
GUYANA 2nd Innings (overnight 114 for 6)
S Chanderpaul not out 63
R Sarwan c (sub) Beckford b Powell 7
E Crandon lbw b Powell 8
I Jefferally lbw b Powell 1
R King lbw Taylor 0
Extras (b13, lb2, nb3) 18
TOTAL (all out) 163
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-46, 3-59, 4-61, 5-65, 6-106, 7-136, 8-152, 9-160, 10-163.
Bowling: Lawson 8-1-23-1, Powell 18-3-46-3 (nb3), Taylor 4.5-1-6-1, Gayle 9-3-13-1, Samuels 27-8-50-2, Breese 10-5-10-2.
JAMAICA 2nd Innings
C. Gayle c Arjune b Deonarine 41
D. Pagon c Deonarine b King 2
M. Samuels b Nagamootoo 81
T. Lambert c Chanderpaul b Deonarine 0
W. Hinds run out (Chanderpaul) 47
C. Baugh b Deonarine 11
D. Bernard lbw b N'mootoo 9
G. Breese c Deonarine b N'mootoo 3
D. Powell b King 57
J. Taylor lbw b Deonarine 0
J. Lawson not out 18
Extras (b7, lb3, nb2, w1) 13
TOTAL (all out, 58.4 overs) 282
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-81, 3-103, 4-104, 5-144, 6-159, 7-182, 8-188, 9-237, 10-282.
Bowling: King 8.4-0-46-2 (nb2), Crandon 11-0-53-0, Nagamootoo 19-0-93-3 (w1), Deonarine 16-0-64-4, Jefferally 2-0-6-0, Sarwan 2-0-10-0.
Result: Guyana won by 51 runs.
Points: Guyana 12, Jamaica 0.
Umpires: Glenroy Johnson, Norman Malcolm.
