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A DESTRUCTIVE spell of spin bowling from Lennox Cush and Devendra Bishoo, coupled with a man-of-the-match innings from Travis Dowlin, ensured Guyana came away with a tense five-wicket victory over the Windwards Islands in their first match of the WICB Regional T20 competition at the Kensington Oval yesterday.
Scores in the match; Windward Islands 157-8. Guyana 160-5 Guyana, who won the first-ever regional Twenty20 championship back in 2006, won the toss and invited their opponents to take first strike, a move that paid dividends when Lennox Cush (4-25) knocked back the stumps of Devon Smith (4) in the third over at 19-1.
Charles displayed a pugnacious attitude towards the bowling of the team from the Land of Many Waters, with an audacious drive through extra cover off Esaun Crandon, followed by a pull to long on off the same bowler.
After seeing the demise of Smith, Charles welcomed Christopher Barnwell into the attack with a four to long leg off his first delivery, while Andre Fletcher 23 (29 balls 1×4) punched Cush through point for four while Charles pulled a short delivery from Cush through forward of square for another one of his six fours as they added 64 for the second wicket from 8.2 overs.
A short delivery from Barnwell was struck for four by Charles, who also pulled Narsingh Deonarine back over his head for four, followed by a six as she moved to 49, bringing up his 50 with a soft single off the 33rd delivery he had faced, hitting six fours and one six in the process.
From the comfortable position of 83-1 in the 12th over, the Windward Islands slipped to 124-5 in the 18th over thanks to the bowling of right arm, leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo who made rings around the batsmen.
Fletcher was the first to go losing his middle stump to a googly and he was followed by Charles who was also bowled by the leg-spinner from Albion and when Liam Sebastien (7) was caught by Ramnaresh Sarwan at mid-wicket off Bishoo, the Windward Islands were shakily placed at 107-4 in the 16th over.
No one gathered at the Kensington Oval could prevent the Guyanese from smiling broadly in the following over, as they picked up the prized wicket of Darren Sammy (8) who holed out to Barnwell at long off when he attempted to hit Royston Crandon out of the ground.
Both Rawl Lewis 30 (14 balls, 3×6) and Donwell Hector 11 (1×6) registered sixes off Royston Crandon in the penultimate over, with Lewis hitting the part-time off-spinner for a hat-trick of maximums, twice over long on and once back over his head.
But Cush displayed the bowling temperament that brought him the lone hat-trick in Regional 20/20, when he removed Lewis, courtesy of a magnificent catch by substitute Assad Fudadin at backward square leg.
Hector was bowled off the next delivery and after keeping out the hat-trick delivery, Shane Shillingford (8) picked out Royston Crandon at long on, leaving Deighton Butler who struck the final ball for four and Gary Mathurin as the not out batsmen, as Windwards ended on 157-8 from their 20 overs.
The Guyanese got a solid start from Travis Dowlin (60) and Sewnarine Chattergoon 10 (1×6) who posted 28 inside five overs, with Chattergoon pulling a short delivery from Butler over midwicket for six, while Dowlin drove Mathurin through extra cover for four.
A stupendous catch by Hector who had to cover close to 30 metres running back from square leg, accounted for Chattergoon off Sammy, but Sarwan 12 (2×4) replaced his opener and delighted the small crowd on hand with his trademark square cut for four off Shillingford.
On the international scene, Sarwan is known as a compulsive hooker to the short delivery which has been his downfall and yesterday it was no different, when he mistimed a hook from a short delivery from Nelon Pascal and was caught by Sammy at squareleg, after working the previous delivery through midwicket for four in the ninth over.
Dowlin continued to soldier on for Guyana, with a straight six off Sebastien, after Deonarine (8) had steered a short delivery from Pascal to third man for four, before he was caught at the wicket off Shillingford. 
Dowlin struck Lewis back over his head for six from the 40th delivery he faced then followed with a four through midwicket off the same bowler, followed by a six, as Guyana moved to 126-3 in the 16th over.
The Windwards removed both Dowlin and Barnwell, with the former being caught by Fletcher running back to third man while Barnwell was taken by Sebastien at deep midwicket two balls later, leaving Guyana on 128-5.
With Guyana needing 30 to win from 18 balls, debutant Jonathan Foo struck Mathurin for four through extra cover, six over long on and four to third man, while Royston Crandon also got a boundary, as Guyana reached 149-5 from 18 overs.
A four to fine leg by Foo off Pascal, brought Guyana to within three runs of victory and they sealed same, when Foo hit Sammy over extra cover for four to remain unbeaten on 24 from nine balls with four fours and one six.
Royston Crandon was unbeaten on 9 from six balls with one four, as Guyana reached 160-5 against the bowling of Pascal who ended with 3-21 from four overs of hostile fast bowling.
Scoreboard

WINDWARDS innings
D. Smith b Cush    4
J. Charles b Bishoo    55
A. Fletcher b Bishoo    23
L. Sebastien c Sarwan b Bishoo    7
D. Sammy c Barnwell b R. Crandon 8
R. Lewis c (sub. Fudadin) b Cush    30
D. Hector b Cush 11
G. Mathurin not out 1
S. Shillingford c R. Crandon b Cush 0
D. Butler not out 4
Extras: (lb-5, w-8, nb-1) 14
Total: (for 8 wickets, 20 overs) 157
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-83, 3-94, 4-107, 5-112, 6-152, 7-152, 8-153.
Bowling: E. Crandon 2-0-15-0, Cush 4-0-25-4, Barnwell 3-0-22-0, Deonarine 3-0-22-0, R. Crandon 4-0-45-1, Bishoo 4-0-23-3.
GUYANA innings
T. Dowlin c Fletcher b Pascal 60
S. Chattergoon c Hector b Sammy 10
R. Sarwan c Sammy b Pascal 12
N. Deonarine c Fletcher b Shillingford 8
C. Barnwell c Sebastien b Pascal 27
R. Crandon not out 09
J. Foo not out 24
Extras: (w-9, nb-1) 10
Total: (for 5 wickets, 19.2 overs) 160
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-58, 3-82, 4-126, 5-128.
Bowling: Butler 2-0-16-0, Mathurin 3-0-29-0, Sammy 2.2-0-31-1, Shillingford 4-0-26-1, Pascal 4-0-21-3, Sebastian 2-0-19-0, Lewis 2-0-18-0.