SKIPPER Christopher Barnwell struck a robust unbeaten innings before returning to claim two wickets which later earned him the Man of the Match award, as Guyana inflicted

a 10 runs defeat over Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Guyana National Stadium last Saturday night.
Barnwell struck three fours and the same number of sixes in his unbeaten 47that came  off 27 balls, which together with Robin Bacchus’ patient 60 (61 balls, 4×4, 2×6), powered Guyana to 144 for 4 fromtheir 20 overs, despite Rayad Emrits’ 3 for 37.
Left arm fast bowler Krishmar Santokie then completed his hattrick from the previous night’s encounter, when he induced Adrian Barath to edge the first delivery of the Red Force’s innings to Anthony Bramble on his way to claiming 4 for 36, as the Twin Island Republic team were limited to 134 for 7 from their 20 overs, with Barnwell picking up 2 for 17 and Keon Joseph 1 for 17, both from four overs apiece.
This was mainly due to Evin Lewis’ belligerent 53 that was scored off 52 deliveries and decorated with seven fours and one six, along with Sherwin Ganga’s 22 and Emrit’s unbeaten 21, which rescued the Red Force from a precarious position of 4 for 3 in the third over.
The Trinidadians, who used the fixtures as part of their preparation for this year’s ICC Champions League, won the toss and asked their Guyanese counterparts, whom they defeated by 11 runs in the first game, to take first strike on a sluggish track.
Bacchus and Trevon Griffith 17 (19 balls, 1×4) added 40 for the first wicket from 7.2 overs, with Griffith driving a ball back past Shannon Gabriel in the third over for four, while Bacchus scored boundaries off both Gabriel and Navin Stewart, before Griffith was run out in bizarre fashion.
He had worked a delivery from Ganga to deep backward point and set off for two runs, but looked up and saw Bacchus responding in the negative for the second run, only when he was passing the Georgetown Cricket Club left hander at the striker’s end, with Lewis throw doing the damage at the bowler’s end.
Leon Johnson (06) joined Bacchus who was given a life by Ramdin in the outfield off Emrit when on 31 at 55 for 1 in the 11th over, but not before he had hit Ganga for six over long on, while they posted Guyana’s 50 from 8.5 overs.
Guyana lost Johnson who was caught by Ganga at short extra cover off Emrit in the 13th over at 66 for 2, at which point Barnwell joined forces with Bacchus to add 71 for the third wicket from 7 overs, following a sedate start.
Bacchus pulled Emrit for four through wide long on, while Barnwell opened his cut with a deft four to third man off Imran Khan, followed by an injudicious six over wide midwicket off Emrit, as Guyana reached their 100 run mark from 17 overs.
This was after Bacchus posted his maiden half century for Guyana at this level from 54 deliveries, counting four fours and one six, when his team were 82 for 2 in the 16th over and watched from the other end as Barnwell tore into Ganga’s bowling in the penultimate over of the home team innings.
The first two balls were struck for maximums back over long on, which was followed by two fours that were struck with authority through extra cover, as the right handed all rounder moved from 25 to 45 within four deliveries.
To add insult to injury, Bacchus struck the final delivery of the over for six back over Ganga’s head, as 27runs were scored in the over, before both Bacchus and Narsingh Deonarine (02) were dismissed in the final over, while Rajiv Ivan hit the final delivery for 4 to wide third man.
When the Red Force batted, they saw Barath going after a wide delivery from Santokie, who had dismissed both Nicholas Pooran and Yannick Ottley in successive deliveries the previous night, as the left handed fast bowler completed the hattrick.
Barath was followed by Nicholas Sookdeosingh (00), who was caught low down by Johnson at second slip off the final delivery of the first over and after Joseph sent down a maiden over, Santokie issued marching orders to Jason Mohammed (00), whose middle stump was uprooted from the first ball of the third over, leaving the Red Force on 4 for 3.
Ramdin (09) and Lewis added 18 for the fourth wicket, with Ramdin hitting both Joseph and Veerasammy Permaul for four, before he was caught by Santokie at deep cover off a lively looking Joseph, but not before Barnwell grassed a diving chance that was offered by Lewis at 11 for 3.
Lewis later said thanks for the offer, when he struck Joseph back over his head for his lone six, while Ganga, who replaced Ramdin, got a four to fine leg off Barnwell, before the Red Force posted their 50 from 10.1 overs.
Lewis duly got to his half century from 49 balls, counting seven fours and one six in the process and celebrated by hitting Devendra Bishoo for three fours in the 15th over, pushing the score to 92 for 4 before Ivan pulled off a magnificent overhead catch, leaping in the air on the midwicket fence to get rid of Lewis off Barnwell.
The Red Force posted their 100 from 16.4 overs, but lost Pooran (04) who was caught by Santokie at short third man off Barnwell at 104 for 7 and needed 39 from 12 deliveries with Santokie being asked to bowl the penultimate over.
Emrit struck his first two deliveries for four and six while Stewart culminated the over with a six back over Santokie’s head and with the Twin Island Republic team needing 20 from the final over that was bowled by Bishoo, they only got nine as Bishoo held his nerves to see Guyana to victory.