-half centuries for Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Griffith

(Compliments of Ansa McAl, Regal Stationery, Wartsilla, Romaine Car Wash, F&H Printing and GT&T)THANKS to a swashbuckling and unbeaten 89 from a rampaging Ramnaresh Sarwan, backed by stroke filled half- centuries from Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Trevon Griffith, Malta Supreme Guyana defeated Ireland by 114 runs in their opening WICB NAGICO Super50 contest at the Queen’s Park Oval last night.
Asked to bat first by the Irish, the Guyanese scored an imposing 301 for 3, the highest Regional List A score at the venue, surpassing Jamaica’s 282 for 5 which was scored the previous day against Windward Islands, to which Ireland were restricted to 188 from 38.3 overs.
Sarwan led the way with his unbeaten 89 (62balls, 10×4; 4×6), which preceded Chanderpaul’s 79 (113b 7×4, 1×6), Griffith’s 62 (96b, 5×4; 1×6), skipper Christopher Barnwell’s robust 31 (15b, 3×6, 2×4) and an entertaining and unbeaten 27 from Leon Johnson (14b, 4×4, 1×6).
Kevin O’Brien, who bowled seven overs unchanged after being introduced in the 28th over, took all three wickets to fall for 56 runs for Ireland, even though he conceded 34 runs from his final three overs, as the 33 year old Sarwan rolled back the years with his spectacular hitting in the depth.
Earlier in the day, Chanderpaul and Griffith posted 129 for the first wicket from 29.2 overs, with both batsmen chalking up boundaries off Max Sorensen, while a Chanderpaul on drive to long on off Tim Murtagh in the fourth over, set tongues wagging.
As if to show that the shot was not a lucky one, he repeated the act in the following over, this time off Sorensen, even as Griffith got into his stride by turning Alex Cusack off his legs twice for boundaries in the seventh over.
The Guyanese, who left out Royston Crandon, Robin Bacchus and Assad Fudadin from their final 11, reached their first of six 50s from 14 overs, while the second one was realised in the 24th over, as Chanderpaul and Griffith who were both on 47, realised their team’s 100 from 23.2 overs.
Chanderpaul was the first to reach his 50, from 71 balls with five fours while Griffith followed suit after the next delivery, using 78 balls of which he struck four fours and the innings’ first six over squareleg off John Mooney.
In his haste to up the scoring, Griffith was dismissed courtesy of a well-judged catch by Sorensen, who dived away to his left at mid-on to hold the offer off Kevin O’Brien in the 30th over and seven overs later, Chanderpaul, who was given a life by Mooney off Kevin O’Brien when on 79 at 160 for 1 in the 38th over, was caught by Murtagh at mid-on off the final delivery of the said over.
Enter Barnwell to partner a sedate looking Sarwan and immediately the scoring tempo for the team, who won their last Regional title nine years ago, was increased as Barnwell continued with his tremendous form prior to the Guyanese’ departure for this tournament, last Tuesday morning.
He opened his account with two sweetly timed fours through the covers off Kevin O’Brien, then watched as Sarwan got boundaries off Cusack and Murtagh, before the 200 was posted off the first delivery of the 44th over, courtesy of a Sarwan four off Cusack.
Barnwell opened his shoulders by hitting Murtagh over long on twice for six, followed by another back over the head of Kevin O’Brien, who deceived the powerful hitter with a slower delivery, which he hoisted to mid-wicket for Niall O’Brien to take the catch.
However, Sarwan, who posted his 50 from 46 balls with six fours and one six, celebrated the feat with back to back fours off Cusack, while he hoisted the same bowler who was entrusted with the ball for the final over, for two sixes and a four off the first three balls even as Johnson finished things off with a boundary.
All told, the pair added 75 from the remaining 5.3 overs in the Malta Supreme Guyana’s final score of 301 for 3, chalking up 21 runs off the final over, as their team finished with the highest Regional List A score on the venue which was hosting its 100 List A match.
In comparison to Malta Supreme Guyana’s start, Ireland suffered an early setback when Niall O’Brien (04) was lbw to Paul Wintz’ fifth delivery of the first over of his team’s innings, having struck the third one for four with authority through extra cover, while William Porterfield (00) went via the same margin to Ronsford Beaton in the second over.
Cusack worked Beaton for four to backward square, but looked on from the non-strikers end as Gary Wilson (05) offered Barnwell a simple catch at cover, departing with Ireland on 21 for 3 in the seventh over.
Cusack got a life when he was on 5 in the next over following Wilson’s demise, when Sarwan grassed an offer at first slip off Barnwell at 22 for 3, with the batsman saying thanks with a four through extra cover two deliveries later.
His reprieved was short-lived, as Wintz bowled him in the next over, before the same bowler was struck for 4, ,4 and 6 by Kevin O’Brien, while Andrew Poynter got a boundary of his own off Beaton, as Ireland got to 50 for 4 in the 12th over.
Poynter and Kevin O’Brien repaired the damage that was done to their team, by adding 59 for the fifth wicket, before the latter was lbw to Devendra Bishoo’s final delivery of his first over and the 18th in the Irish innings.
Money was lbw to Bishoo, but on a referral, it was noted that the leg spinner stepped over the popping crease, but like Cusack, his stay was of no harm to the eventual victors as Veerasammy Permaul bowled him shortly after.
Nevertheless, Poynter continued to show fight with 6, 4 ,6 off Bishoo, even as Sorensen showed he is no rabbit with the bat, by hitting Permaul for four while Poynter got his fourth half century at this level from 63 deliveries, decorated with four fours, before he was run out by Barnwell off Permaul, looking for a cheeky single to point, four runs later.
He struck five fours and two sixes in his 65- ball knock, which did not stop Malta Supreme Guyana from romping to victory, as Narsingh Deonarine (2 for 6) mopped up the tail to offer support to Wintz (3 for 30), while Beaton took 2 for 41 and Bishoo and Permaul a wicket each.

GUYANA INNINGS
T. Griffith c Sorensen b K. O’Brien 62
S. Chanderpaul c Murtagh b K. O’Brien 79
R. Sarwan not out 89
C. Barnwell c N. O’Brien b K. O’Brien 31
L. Johnson not out 23
Extras: (w8, lb1, b4) 13
Total (for 3 wickets off 5 overs) 301
Fall of wickets: 1-129, 2-160, 3-225.
Did not bat: N. Deonarine, A. Bramble, V. Permaul, D. Bishoo, P. Wintz, R. Beaton.
Bowling: Sorensen 5-0-29-0(w3), Murtagh 8-0-57-0, Cusack 10-0-70-0 (w20, McBrine 10-0-34-0, Dockrell 4-0-29-0, Mooney 3-0-21-0(w1), K. O’Brien 10-2-56-3 (1w)

IRELAND INNINGS

W. Porterfield lbw b Beaton 00
N. O’Brien lbw b Wintz 04
A. Cusack b Wintz 12
G. Wilson c Barnwell b Wintz 05
A. Poynter run out Barnwell/Bramble 54
K. O’Brien lbw b Bishoo 39
J. Mooney b Permaul 09
M. Sorensen not out 29
A. McBrine b Deonarine 03
T. Murtagh c&b Deonarine 04
G. Dockrell c Chanderpaul b Beaton 08
Extras: (lb4, w14, nb2) 20
Total: (all out off 38.3 overs) 187
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-5, 3-21, 4-27, 5-86, 6-112, 7-143, 8-151, 9-162
Bowling: Wintz 6-0-30-3(w4), Beaton 7.3-1-41-2(w4, nb1), Barnwell 7-0-35-0(w1), Permaul 10-1-31-1(w1), Bishoo 6-0-41-1(nb1), Deonarine 2-0-6-0

(By Calvin Roberts in Trinidad and Tobago)