Braithwaite, Austin hand CCC first innings points
(In Barbados compliments of: Giftland, P&P Insurance, Lifetime Realty and Kei-shar’s Gift Shoppe)

THE pace/spin combination of the Barbados pair of Carlos Braithwaite and Ryan Austin handed the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) first innings points over Guyana at the 3Ws Oval midway during the final session of the second day’s play yesterday in their sixth round West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) four-day match.
Not to be outdone, the Guyanese, who conceded a 44-run lead to their opponents after being bowled out for 207 in reply to CCC’s first innings score of 251, thanks to Braithwaite’s 4-37 and Austin’s 4-76, left the University students on 40-3, a lead of 84 runs with seven wickets in hand, with Romel Currency and Kyle Corbin on 21 and 0 respectively.
Scores: CCC 251 and 40-3; Guyana 207.
Resuming at their overnight score of 11-1 with Rajendra Chandrika, who has so far amassed 156 runs on 5 and Veerasammy Permaul 3, Guyana saw Permaul drive Carlos Braithwaite through mid off for four, while Chandrika uppercut Kevin McClean (1-42) to third man for six to push the score to 30-1.
In Permaul’s long vigil at the wicket he added 40 valuable runs for the second wicket with Chandrika which came to an end when he was bowled by Ryan Austin’s first delivery of the match in the 15th over, after facing 40 balls with two fours in 60 minutes for his 20.
Guyana reached their first 50 in the 19th over and after the first hour’s play were 52-2 with Chandrika on 19 and Leon Johnson who replaced Permaul, 9. After the break, Johnson showed the form that made him a top youth batsman in his own right, when he hoisted Austin over long on for six.
Austin had the final say when for the umpteenth time Johnson succumbed to the sweep shot, this time magnificently caught at slip by CCC’s player/coach Floyd Reifer for his 20, leaving Guyana on 79-3 a mere 20 minutes before the lunch interval. Chandrika was joined by Narsingh Deonarine.
At lunch, Guyana were 94-3 with Chandrika on 46, four away from his first half-century and Deonarine, who two years ago topped the 1 000-run barrier, on 3. Guyana were 158 runs behind CCC’s score, with Austin picking up 2-29 so far.
Chandrika failed to post his first half-century at this level after lunch, when he steered Braithwaite to Kyle Corbin at second slip in the second over after lunch for 49, made off 108 deliveries while he batted for 145 minutes, hitting five fours and one six.
Assad Fudadin who started this game with 147 runs from the five matches, added 17 more to that total, while posting his team’s 100 in the 37th over, before Braithwaite removed Deonarine who was bowled padding out to a delivery that swung back in, at 108-5.
Austin struck twice in successive overs, removing Vishal Singh who was lbw without scoring and Fudadin who was bowled as he offered no shot to a delivery that spun across him, while wicketkeeper/batsman Derwin Christian opened his account with a crisp square drive through point, off the first delivery he faced from Austin.
Fudadin made 17 off 74 deliveries with two fours batting for 94 minutes and at tea, Guyana, who failed to win any of their previous five matches, were 140-7 with Christian on 13 and Zaheer Mohammed who replaced Fudadin, 4.
After tea, Christian who was publicly criticised by coach Mark Harper for his shot selection at the recently held Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) annual general meeting, survived a confident lbw appeal against Kavesh Kantasingh’s first ball of the second over.
A Mohammed drive to long on off Austin, posted Guyana’s 150 in the 65th over, while Christian continued to fight for his team with two fours through midwicket off Austin and Kantasingh that pushed his score to 28 and Guyana to 176-7.
Nkrumah Bonner (1-19) replaced Kantasingh and was dispatched over wide long off by Mohammed, who moved to 30 and at the same time, realised the first 50-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Christian, before he was caught at the wicket by Jamal Smith off Braithwaite for 34.
Mohammed faced 47 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes while batting for 62 minutes, but most importantly for Guyana, he added 63 with Christian who was joined by Brandon Bess in overcast conditions, for the eighth wicket.
The 27-year-old Christian eased Braithwaite, who was getting the ball to swing away from the right-hander, through midwicket for two, to post the 200 in the 76th over, before he was lbw to leaving Guyana on 201-9, with Bess and Beaton left with the task of scoring 51 runs to give their team first innings points, which they failed to get as Beaton was caught by Currency off Braithwaite, leaving Bess unbeaten on 1.
Bess repeated his first innings act, when he sent back CCC’s skipper Omar Phillips for a golden duck’, removing the left-handed batsman via lbw with the first delivery of the second innings, which got under way in overcast conditions.
Currency refused to emulate his skipper and fell for a golden duck, when he played an uppercut to a short delivery from Beaton that sailed over point for a maximum, which was followed by an authoritative straight drive to long on off Bess that pushed his score to 16 and CCC 29-1.
Permaul trapped Shacaya Thomas lbw for 15, followed by Kantasingh who was bowled through bat and pad without scoring, to leave CCC on 38-3, five minutes before close of play. Certainly, when action gets under way today, Guyana will be looking to take the remaining wickets and press for a come-from-behind win.