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LED by another scintillating bowling performance including a hat- trick from veteran all rounder Lennox Cush (4-20), Guyana defeated Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) by four wickets in their second round match of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional Twenty20 tournament at the Kensington Oval yesterday.

Fielding an unchanged side from the team which defeated the Windward Islands by five wickets in the first round, Guyana won the toss and asking CCC to take first strike in a rain delayed encounter, reduced the University students to 142-9 from their 20 overs.

In reply,  Guyana , reached 143-6 from 19.2 overs, thanks to the batting of Jonathan Foo who made an unbeaten 23 from 17 deliveries with two fours and one six against the bowling of Gilford Moore who took 3-18 for CCC.

After a quiet start against the pace/spin combination of Esaun Crandon and Lenox Cush that were in operation for Guyana , Miles Bascombe (36, 27 balls 3×4; 2×6), smashed a short delivery from the former over extra cover for four.

A short ball from Cush was pulled to the backward square leg boundary by Bascombe, who struck the said bowler over midwicket for six, two deliveries later, followed by a thick outside edge to third man for four as CCC reached 33 without loss after four overs.

Guyana removed Currency, who picked out Foo at mid off when he looked to hit Cush over the top in the sixth over and he was followed by Bascombe who was caught by Cush at midwicket off Devendra Bishoo (2-20), leaving CCC on 48-2 in the eight over.

Player/coach Floyd Reifer (49, 30 balls 4×4, 2×6) joined Nikolai Parris (17) who came in at the demise of Currency and raised the CCC 50 with a cut through point off Narsingh Deonarine in the ninth over, before Reifer pulled Royston Crandon over midwicket for six.

Parris joined the boundary scoring act, with a four through wide mid on off Deonarine who was content on bowling a leg stump line, despite a packed offside field that was set by his skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Bishoo replaced Royston Crandon at the Media Centre end and was dispatched for six by Reifer over midwicket, before an unfortunate occurrence took place, wherein Reifer who was given out caught at the wicket off Barnwell, had the on-field umpires Vincent Bullen and Golan Greaves sought confirmation from the third umpire, who reversed the decision.

Guyana did not suffer from the let off Reifer got, as Parris was caught by Dowlin off Bishoo, bringing an end to his 44 runs third wicket partnership with Reifer which took them six overs to accumulate, leaving CCC on 92-3 in the 14th over.

Barnwell, who was later declared man of the match, removed Chadwick Walton (01) who picked out Deonarine at mid off, but CCC managed to reach their 100.

An audacious drive off the front foot by Reifer off Barnwell, made its way to the boundary like a bullet, before a direct hit from Sarwan found Reifer short of his ground, leaving CCC on 123-5 in the 18th over.

Sarwan entrusted the final over to Cush and the veteran off spinner did not disappoint his skipper, picking up his second hat trick in regional T20 cricket when he removed Barrington Yearwood (07) who struck his first ball for six over midwicket, Ryan Wiggins (08) and Ruel Braithwaite (00), as CCC reached 142-9 from their 20 overs.

Guyana’s reply got off to a disastrous start as they lost West Indies opener Travis Dowlin (01) who was caught at mid on by Yearwood off Moore in the first over.

Sarwan joined Sewnarine Chattergoon (25), who pulled a short delivery from Moore through mid on for the first boundary of his team’s innings, which was followed by a sweetly timed drive off the front foot and through the covers off a Braithwaite delivery in the fourth over.

Two fours by Sarwan off Kantasingh, followed by a Chattergoon four off Parris, raised Guyana’s 50 in the ninth over before Sarwan fell to Yearwood’s first delivery, caught by Parris at square leg for a run a ball 29 which was decorated with three fours, after he added 55 for the second wicket with Chattergoon.

Deonarine replaced Sarwan and opened his account with a tickle to fine leg for four before he was caught by Wiggins off Moore who removed Chattergoon two balls later, caught by Phillips at backward point.

At 72-4 in the 11th over and needing another 71 runs to see his side safely into the final four, Royston Crandon joined Barnwell (21, 3×4; 18 balls) and pulled a short delivery from Yearwood backward of square for four, followed by a cut through point off Wiggins for another boundary, before he was stumped by Walton off Parris for 15.

First match hero  Foo joined Barnwell and a savage drive over extra cover that netted him four runs, reminded those gathered at the ground of his innings against the Windward Islands last Friday.

After seeing Barnwell punched Parris over midwicket for four, Foo responded by hitting the final delivery over long off for his first six, while a short delivery from Braithwaite was dispatched with disdain through a vacant midwicket followed by an audacious straight drive for another boundary, before he was caught by Parris, with Guyana 126-6 in the 18th over.

Foo continued to soldier despite Barnwell’s demise, pulling Braithwaite’s final delivery of the over through midwicket for four, leaving Guyana on 130-6 and needing 13 runs from the final two overs.

Guyana got home with four balls to spare, when Darwin Christian drove Kantasingh through the cover region for four to remain unbeaten on 9 with Foo, but most importantly, seeing his team into the final four which will be played in Trinidad and Tobago later this week.