Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

Jamaica pacer Jermaine Lawson (third left) is congratu-lated by his teammates after taking one of five wickets against Guyana on the first day of the Carib Beer Series cricket match at Sabina Park yesterday. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

The first day of the regional Carib Beer Series cricket match between Jamaica and Guyana ended at Sabina Park yesterday with the home team, fired by a fiver from fast bowler Jermaine Lawson, and the visitors, powered by a fiery burst from pacers Esuan Crandon and Trevon Garraway, locked in a tense battle for supremacy.

At stumps on a day of dazzling sunshine and little or no breeze, on a pitch which played well throughout the day, Jamaica, on 56 for three replying to Guyana's 171, were fighting desperately after losing their opening pair in two overs without a run on the board.

In a shocking start to their innings, Jamaica lost their first wicket when, in the first over, Xavier Marshall was bowled by Crandon, and their second when Donovan Pagon was leg before wicket to Trevon Garaway.

Jamaica's third wicket fell at 28 in the 10th over when, after a short respite, captain Tamar Lambert, on nine, going back and searching for the ball, was beaten by a beauty from Garraway and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Derwin Christian.

Only the left-handed Hinds, not out on 37 after two sweetly timed offside drives off Crandon followed by another two towards the end off left-arm spinner Permaul, was good enough to survive.

Spectators

After being almost nothing but spectators while right-arm leg-spinner Odean Brown with 17 wickets and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller with 13 preened themselves in Jamaica's first two matches, Lawson, five for 41 off 12 overs, Andrew Richardson, two for 20 off 10, and medium-pacer David Bernard Jr. with one for 22 off 12 overs, stole the limelight yesterday as they cornered the Guyanese batsmen and then, led by Lawson, cut them down one by one.

In taking his second five-wicket haul against Guyana, Lawson was fast and accurate - the kind of speed and accuracy that sent the middle stumps of Zaheer Mohammed and Veerasammy Permaul, his last two victims, cartwheeling towards wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr.

The only batsmen who offered any resistance, the only Guyanese who were not like lambs to the slaughter before the pace of Lawson, were Narsingh Deonarine and Christian, who scored 39 and 34, respectively.

Joining the action at six for two, Deonarine batted for 139 minutes, faced 98 deliveries and stroked four boundaries before he drove a catch to cover at 77 for five.

Christian, batting at number and replacing Deonarine, batted for 93 minutes, faced 73 deliveries, stroked one four and smashed two sixes before he made it 148 for eight when he swung at Miller and Baugh held on to the ball at the second attempt.

Not comfortable

Much depended on their captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan, when he joined the action at 29 for three. But the man who boasted a total of 305 runs and an average of 101.66 after two matches this season when he took guard from umpire Vincent Bullen of Barbados, despite a flowing on-drive for two off Bernard, never looked comfortable, and after surviving a confident shout for leg before wicket against Richardson in his second spell, stood in his stance, flicked at the pacer, edged a catch to Lambert at first slip and departed for nine at 47 for four in the 25th over.

GUYANA 1st Innings T Dowlin c Marshall b Richardson 0 G Singh c Pagon b Lawson 5 L Johnson c wkp Baugh b Bernard 19 N Deonarine c Brown b Lawson 39 *R Sarwan c Lambert b Richardson 9 A Fudadin c wkp Baugh b Lawson 13 +D Christian c wkp Baugh b Miller 34 E Crandon b Lambert 11 Z Mohammed b Lawson 26 V Permaul b Lawson 11 T Garraway not out 0 Extras (lb1, nb3) 4 TOTAL (all out - 67 overs) 171

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-6, 3-29, 4-47, 5-77, 6-90, 7-121, 8-148, 9-170.

BOWLING: Lawson 12-1-41-5; Richardson 10-3-20-2; Bernard 12-3-22-1; Nash 4-2-6-0; Miller 14-8-25-1; Brown 14-1-52-0; Lambert 1-0-4-1.

JAMAICA 1st Innings

X Marshall b Crandon 0 D Pagon lbw b Garraway 0 *T Lambert c Sarwan b Garraway 9 W Hinds not out 37 B Nash not out 4 Extras (lb1, b2, nb3) 6 TOTAL (3 wkts - 21 overs) 56

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-0, 3-28

To Bat: D Bernard, +C Baugh, N Miller, O Brown, A Richardson, J Lawson.

BOWLING: Crandon 8-1-21-1; Garraway 6-1-17-2; Mohammed 4-1-5-0; Permaul 3-1-10-0.

Position: Jamaica trailing by 115 runs with seven first innings wickets standing.

Toss: Guyana.

Umpires: Maurice Chung, Vincent Bullen.