Guyana battling to save follow on  
At Albion Community Development Centre  
Courtesy of Regal Stationery and Computer Centre)
VISITORS Barbados were large and in charge against Guyana despite Devendra Bishoo’s third five wicket haul at the end of the second day of their fifth round 2010 West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) President’s Cup match at the Albion Community Development Centre ground yesterday.  
Guyana commenced their innings 20 minutes before lunch, following Bishoo’s 5-75 which bowled out Barbados for 403 half an hour before the luncheon interval and even though Rajendra Chandrika (32) pulled Tino Best first delivery for four, they lost skipper Sewnarine Chattergoon (01) who was caught by Corey Edwards at mid- off, driving uppishly to Best, on the stroke of lunch.  
At the close of play, Guyana were 189-7 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 23 and Veerasammy Permaul 8 while pacer Tino Best 4-55 and his skipper Ryan Hinds 3-20, restricted the home team who needed another 64 more runs to save the follow on, with three wickets in hand.  
Gajanand Singh replaced Chattergoon after lunch and signaled his intentions to fight fire with fire, with back to back boundaries off Pedro Collins and Best respectively, before West Indies left arm orthodox spinner Sulieman Benn replaced Best at the southern end of the ground after seven overs in Guyana’s innings.  
The 22 year- old Singh who last represented Guyana against the Combined Campuses and Colleges at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground last year, played two audacious square drives off Collins and Corey Edwards, as Guyana posted their first 50 from 11.2 overs, with Singh on 29 and Chandrika 13.  
He was given a life, when Benn failed to hold onto an outside edge while stationed at second slip off the bowling of Corey Edwards who swung a delivery across the body of the left handed batsman who was on 29 and Guyana 51-1.  
Chandrika got into the boundary scoring act, when he drove Corey Edwards square off the wicket twice, before Singh also drove the same bowler off the back foot and square of the wicket for four, as Guyana moved to 81-1.  
Singh got to his maiden first-class half century from 69 balls, decorated with nine fours from 87 minutes of batting and celebrated same with two wonderful drives for four off the bowling of Kevin Stoute and Ryan Hinds respectively, as Guyana moved to 100-1 in the 31st over of their innings.  
Barbados took the wicket of a resilient looking Chandrika, who having survived a confident appeal for a catch at slip two overs earlier from Hinds, departed after offering the same fielder Dale Richards another chance which was accepted head high for 32 made off 98 balls while batting for 120 minutes, where he added 91 for the second wicket with Singh.  
At tea, Guyana were 112-2 with a purposeful looking Singh who was born in Berbice but plays for Demerara on 66 and Royston Crandon who replaced Chandrika on 1. After the break, Crandon who played a solitary limited overs international for the West Indies in the ICC Champions Trophy last year, drove Best through point for four.  
Singh failed to add to his tea time score, as he was adjudged lbw to Hinds, having faced 104 deliveries, hitting 10 of them for four while batting for 130 minutes and was joined by Crandon who was bowled by Best in the next over.  
Christopher Barnwell (15) who was joined by the 35 year old Chanderpaul at the demise of Crandon, retaliated with three fours off Best inside two overs, as Guyana who lost three wickets for 12 runs, moved to 131-4 before Barnwell was bowled by Best with a delivery that kept low at 138-5, having faced 17 balls and struck three fours.  
Barbados should have had Derwin Christian who got his maiden first class ton (113) against Jamaica in last year tournament, but the pint sized West Indies Under-19 wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich failed to hold onto the chance which went between himself and Richards at first slip for four.  
An aerial drive between short cover and mid off for four by Christian off Collins, raised Guyana’s 150 in the 55th over of their innings, as Christian moved to15 while Chanderpaul, who was displaying his usual dogged style of accumulating runs, was on 9.  
Barbados got rid of Christian, who was adjudged lbw to Hinds for 17 which included three fours from 36 deliveries, but more importantly for the visitors, they had taken six of the home team wickets for 156, with Chanderpaul at the non-striker’s end on 7.  
Zaheer Mohammed (01) never suggested permanence even though he was in partnership with Chanderpaul and displayed same when he was bowled by Best as the shadows made their way across the ground, leaving Guyana precariously placed on 174-7and still needing 79 runs to avoid the follow on.  
Earlier, the visitors resumed on their overnight score of 326-5 with Kevin Stoute and the 17 year old Dowrich on 36 and 5 respectively and they extended their overnight sixth wicket partnership to 44 before Stoute was lbw to Bishoo for 49.  
Prior to his dismissal, the right handed Stoute who has been in excellent form as a bowling all rounder for Barbados this season, struck back to back fours off Brandon Bess, but it was Bishoo who pegged back the second placed team in this years’ tournament, as Guyana picked up three wickets in the first hour of play.  
Benn (02), Dowrich (24 from 53 balls) and Best (15; 3×4) were the batsmen who followed Stoute in the pavilion, with Benn picking out substitute Vishal Singh who held a running catch coming around from mid on to midwicket, while Dowrich and Best was lbw and bowled by Bishoo respectively, leaving Barbados on 381-9.  
Bishoo took the final wicket for the morning, when he held onto a low offer that was struck back to him by Corey Edwards (05), leaving Collins unbeaten on 13 made off 32 deliveries with one four from 28 minutes of batting.  
Mohammed (2-60) and Barnwell who took 2-83, supported Bishoo and with an Albion wicket which has begun to show signs of keeping low at the Southern End after two days play, an interesting battle can be anticipated today.