(In Barbados with the kind compliments of: Carib Beer, Giftland, GT&T’s Emagine, 4R, May’s Shopping Centre and Bakewell).
NEEDING to win their final preliminary round match to advance to the final four, defending West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Twenty20 champions Guyana failed to do so when they went down to the Windward Islands by two runs at the Kensington Oval Tuesday night. Heading into their final Group ‘A’ fixture with a net run rate of -0.734 in comparison to their opponents +0.275, Guyana won the toss and restricted the Windward Islands to (138-8) off their 20 overs, but were held to 136-9 from their 20 overs.
Windwards got a dream start from their openers Johnson Charles (21) and Andre Fletcher (40) who added 27 from 3.1 overs, with Charles hitting Esaun Crandon’s first and fifth balls of the second over for six and four respectively, while Fletcher also struck the same bowler for four through point.
Royston Crandon (2-14) replaced his elder brother and got the breakthrough with the first ball of his spell, when he had Charles, who struck two sixes and one four off 13 balls, with his second six going a long way over long on off Veerasammy Permaul (1-18), caught by Ramnaresh Sarwan at short mid on.
Devon Smith (3) replaced Charles but did not last long, when he was bowled through the gates by Royston Crandon leaving the Windward Islands on 32-2 in the sixth over of their innings.
Fletcher struck Steven Jacobs over extra cover for four, before he was dropped by Royston Crandon at backward point off the next delivery and watched from the other end as Keddy Lesporis (26) pulled Jacobs through wide midwicket for four to push his side to 55-2 after nine overs.
Christopher Barnwell replaced Jacobs at the Northern End and after conceding five runs off his first five balls, he was sent crashing over long on by Lesporis, while Fletcher struck Jacobs, who replaced Royston Crandon at the Media Centre End, over point for six.
After 13 overs, Windward Islands were 87-2, with Fletcher on 33 and Lesporis 26, at which point Sarwan re-introduced Esaun Crandon into the attack and got success when Lesporis, who struck one six and one four in his 26 made off 30 balls, was caught by Travis Dolin at long on, bringing an end to his 56-run partnership with Fletcher from 8.1.
As if he was not fazed at the dismissal of Lesporis, Fletcher who was joined by his skipper Darren Sammy 26 (2×6, 1×4) struck Esaun Crandon’s final ball over long off for six, before he was stumped by Derwin Christian off Devendra Bishoo (2-26).
Gary Mathurin replaced Fletcher who faced 37 balls and struck two fours and the same number of sixes in his 40, and he was given a life off his first ball by Barnwell who grassed a skier at long off, with the ball going for four.
A direct hit from Christian removed Mathurin who went for a cheeky single with the ball going to leg slip off Esaun Crandon, who was later struck over long off by Sammy off the final ball of the 18th over, leaving the Windward Islands on 120-5.
Sammy struck Bishoo over wide long on for six, followed by a four in the same area that beat a diving Dowlin, before he was run-out by Permaul on the cover boundary in the final over, while Mervin Matthew (2) was caught at the wicket off the final delivery, leaving Liam Sebastien unbeaten on 3.
When Guyana began their reply, the Windwards struck early, removing Dowlin (1) who was caught by Fletcher at cover point off Mathurin in the second over of their innings and should have lost Richard Ramdeen (10) when he was on 4 via run-out, but Sebastien’s throw went wide of James.
Windwards removed Ramdeen and Esaun Crandon (6) to catches at cover point and at the wicket off Mathurin and Sammy respectively and even though Sarwan got a bit of luck when he played a ball onto his wicket but the bails remained in place, his thin edge through to James off Matthew left Guyana shakily placed on 36-4 in the eighth over.
Royston Crandon (22) joined Jacobs, who had earlier struck Mathurin over long off for six, followed by another over midwicket off Matthew’s second over, raising Guyana’s 50 in the 10th over of their innings, while pushing his score to 22.
Royston Crandon was given a life by Lesporis at long on when he looked to hit Matthew over the boundary and at the end of 12 overs, Guyana were 67-4 with Jacobs on 31 and Royston Crandon 10, needing another 72 to win off eight overs.
Royston Crandon was finally dismissed, caught by Smith at midwicket off Matthew, bringing an end to his 42-run fifth-wicket partnership with Jacobs who was on 34, from 6.4 overs.
Pascal was brought back and he removed Jacobs, but Barnwell made up for his inept bowling display by smashing Kenroy Peters over long on twice for six, followed by another off Mathurin that cleared the Peter Shortt Media Centre, as Guyana moved to 112-6 in the 18th over.
Guyana started the penultimate over on 116-6, needing another 23 runs to win, with Barnwell on 27 and Foo, with Pascal being entrusted with the ball by his skipper and he knocked back the off stump of Foo, leaving the defending champions on 118-7.
Barnwell’s champion knock which saw him race to 31 runs off 16 balls with three sixes and one four, came to an end when he was brilliantly caught by Sammy off Pascal’s final delivery, leaving Christian, Bishoo and Permaul to score 16 runs off the final over which was bowled by Peters.
The Guyanese in the dugout and around the venue displayed broad smiles when Christian swung Peters’ fourth ball over midwicket for six, but with six to get from the final two balls, he only managed to get three before he was run-out off the final ball of the innings, handing the Windwards a victory and what can most likely be a place in the final four.
WICB CT20
SCOREBOARD
WINDWARD ISLANDS innings
J. Charles c Sarwan b R. Crandon    21
A. Fletcher stp. Christian b Permaul    40
D. Smith b R. Crandon    3
K. Lesporis c Dowlin b E. Crandon    26
D. Sammy run-out    26
G. Mathurin run-out (Christian)    5
L. James b Permaul    7
L. Sebastien not out    3
M. Matthew c wkp. Christian b Bishoo    2
Extras: (lb-2, w-3)    5
Total: (for 8 wickets, off 20 overs)    138
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-32, 3-88, 4-95, 5-101, 6-120, 7-136, 8-138.
Bowling: Permaul 4-0-18-1, E. Crandon 4-0-41-1, R. Crandon 4-0-14-2 (w-1), Jacobs 3-0-26-0 (w-1), Barnwell 1-0-11-0, Bishoo 4-0-26-2 (w-1)
GUYANA innings
T. Dowlin c Fletcher b Mathurin    1
R. Ramdeen c Fletcher b Mathurin    10
E. Crandon c wkpr James b Sammy    6
R. Sarwan c wkpr James b Matthew    4
S. Jacobs b Pascal    36
R. Crandon c Smith b Matthew    17
J. Foo b Pascal    7
C. Barnwell c Sammy b Pascal    31
D. Christian run-out    13
D. Bishoo not out    1
Extras: (lb-5, w-5)    10
Total: (for 9 wickets, off 20 overs)    136
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-19, 3-19, 4-36, 5-78, 6-82, 7-118, 8-123.
Bowling: Pascal 4-0-23-3 (w-2), Mathurin 4-0-28-2, Sammy 4-0-20-1 (w-2), Matthew 4-0-28-2, Peters 4-0-32-0.