RIDING on the back of Nkrumah Bonner’s second Regional ton and the third of this year’s tournament, Jamaica defeated Malta Supreme Guyana by 10 runs in their final preliminary round match of this year’s West Indies Cricket Board NAGICO Super50 contest at the Queen’s Park Oval last night.Winning the toss and batting first, Jamaica scored 243 for 7 from their 50 overs, thanks to Bonner’s unbeaten 122 (157balls, 8×4; 5×6), coupled with 27 from Andre McCarthy (45balls, 3×4) and an unbeaten 20 from Nikita Miller, with whom Bonner added 73 for the eighth wicket from 5.5 overs.

Left arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and fast bowler Ronsford Beaton took 2 wickets each for 45 for 56 runs, respectively, for Malta Supreme Guyana, who replied with (233) with Shivnarine Chanderpaul leading the way with 65 (101balls, 3×6, 2×4) and Trevon Griffith 37 (75balls, 3×4, 1×6).
Disciplined bowling from the Guyanese early in the Jamaican innings, placed a tight lid on things in the top of the table clash, as Jamaica scored 72 runs from their first 25 overs, for the loss of Horace Miller (06), John Campbell (10) and the stocky Tamar Lambert (07).
Bonner strode to the wicket at the fall of Horace Miller, who edged one through to wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble-who was involved in all three dismissals, and steadied things for his team, despite the demise of both Campbell and Lambert, within the first 15 overs.
Bonner rallied the storm of short bowling from Beaton and his skipper Christopher Barnwell (1 for 57) and together with McCarthy added 52 for the fourth wicket, before McCarthy was caught by Leon Johnson at solitary slip off Permaul.
Carlton Baugh Jr came to the wicket but did not last long, picking out Barnwell at extra cover in his attempt to hit Permaul over that area, while David Bernard Jr was lbw to Beaton, who extracted pace and bounce off the wicket during his three spells.
Bonner got to his 50 from 117 balls, counting three fours as he continued to steady the Jamaicans innings, while at the other end, Andre Russell 14 (8balls, 1×4; 1×6) fought fire with fire by hitting Beaton over extra cover for 6, followed by his lone four off Barnwell.
A tumbling catch by Trevon Griffith at wide long on, accounted for Russell who was looking to hit Devendra Bishoo (1 for 37) over that area, but it brought to the wicket, a devastating looking Nikita Miller.
He saw the 25 year old Bonner inched closer to his century with a six and four off Beaton, while he got there two balls later, having faced 148 deliveries of which he struck seven fours and three sixes, with his third six realising Jamaica’s 200 in the 47th over.
At the end of their innings, three overs later, they had accumulated 43 more runs, as Bonner hit both Beaton and Barnwell for sixes, with the maximum off Barnwell coming off the final delivery of Jamaica’s innings.
Griffith and Chanderpaul gave Malta Supreme Guyana a positive start, by posting 88 for the first wicket, with Chanderpaul hitting Sheldon Cotterrell and Bernard Jr for sixes, while Griffith swept Nikita Miller behind squareleg for six.
Both batsmen also chalked up boundaries to fine leg off Bernard Jr in the 12th over, pushing their team to 78 without loss off 18 overs, but the introduction of Russell in the 22nd over saw the demise of Griffith who was caught by McCarthy at wide third man, after contributing 37 (75balls, 3×4, 1×6).
Debutant Robin Bacchus gave the crowd something to cheer about, when he drove Russell elegantly for four, but was caught by Baugh Jr off the next delivery, leaving Guyana on 96 for 2, as Johnson joined Chanderpaul.
A short ball from Russell was dispatched with disdain by Johnson to the backward squareleg fence, before Chanderpaul pulled a short delivery from Russell to wide long on for his second four, to realise his half century from 78 balls, two of which were hit for sixes, even as Malta Supreme Guyana inched to 123 for 2.
Lambert trapped Johnson lbw for 16 in his final over, but Chanderpaul continued with a six off Nikita Miller, before losing Barnwell for 11 (7balls, 2×4), bowled by Campbell after hitting the said bowler for back to back fours, prior to being dismissed.
Chanderpaul turned one off his body from Cottrell to Campbell at short fine leg at 152 for 5 in the 37th over, while a direct hit from Bernard Jr who was stationed at mid-on, accounted for Crandon (13) who was sent back by Fudadin, who was later caught by Nikita Miller off Cottrell, who knocked back Bramble’s (14) off stump with his first delivery of the 46th over.
Despite some fireworks from Permaul 17*, Bishoo (06) and Beaton (09) late in the innings, with Permaul and Beaton hitting Cottrell over midwicket for 6, Russell (3 for 59) and Cottrell 3 for 62, carried Jamaica to the top of the points table from the group with the eventual victory.

Scorecard
JAMAICA INNINGS
H Miller c wkpr Bramble b Beaton 06
J Campbell c wkpr Bramble b Barnwell 10
N Bonner not out 122
T Lambert c wkpr Bramble b Fudadin 07
A McCarthy c Johnson b Permaul 27
C Baugh Jr c Barnwell b Permaul 08
D Bernard Jr lbw b Beaton 08
A Russell c Griffith b Bishoo 14
N Miller not out 20
Extras (w18, lb3) 21
Total: (for 7 wickets off 50 overs) 243
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-25, 3-45, 4-97, 5-134, 6-152, 7-170
Did not bat: S. Cotterrell, J. Taylor
Bowling: Barnwell 10-0-57-1 (w4), Beaton 8-2-56-2 (w4), Fudadin 6-1-17-1 (w1), Bishoo 10-0-37-1 (w1), Permaul 10-0-45-2 (w1), Crandon 6-0-28-0

GUYANA INNINGS
T Griffith c McCarthy b Russell 37
S Chanderpaul c Campbell b Cottrell 65
R Bacchus c wkpr Baugh Jr b Russell 06
L Johnson lbw b Lambert 16
C Barnwell b Campbell 11
A Fudadin c N Miller b Cottrell 21
R Crandon run out (Bernard Jr) 13
A Bramble b Cottrell 14
V Permaul not out 17
D Bishoo b Russell 06
R Beaton run out 09
Extras (nb2, w15, lb1) 18
Total (all out off 49.5 overs) 233
Fall of wickets: 1-88, 2-96, 3-124, 4-145, 5-152, 6-178, 7-192, 8-201, 9-216
Bowling: Taylor 8-0-27-0 (w1), Cottrell 10-1-62-3 (nb1, w4), Bernard Jr 5-0-29-0(w1, nb1), Miller 6-1-26-0, Lambert 10-1-27-1, Russell 9.5-1-51-3 (w4), Campbell 1-0-10-1 (w1)
Written By Calvin Roberts in Trinidad and Tobago
(Compliments of Carib Beer, Regal Stationery, Wartsilla, Romaine Car Wash, F&H Printing and GT&T)