LEG-SPINNER Devendra Bishoo got another five-wicket haul to his career, which enabled hosts Guyana Jaguars to stave a fightback against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in their ninth round West Indies Cricket Board/Professional Cricket L:eague Regional four-day encounter at the Guyana National Stadium, yesterday.The visitors resumed the day on 173 for 4 and led by 82 from Yannic Cariah and an unbeaten 70 from Steven Katwaroo, the two adding 137 for the sixth wicket, were bowled out for 340 for a lead of 49, with Bishoo claiming 6 for 76 and Veerasammy Permaul 2 for 92.

Faced with a deficit of 49 runs, the Jaguars who lead the points table with 123 points at the start of this fixture reached 120 for 3 at the close of play, for a lead of 71 runs with seven wickets in hand, thanks to an even 50 from Assad Fudadin.
When play got under way at 09:30hrs to facilitate for the two rain delays the previous day, the Jaguars struck with the second ball of the day, when Devendra Bishoo had Yannic Cariah caught at the wicket by Anthony Bramble without any addition to his/or Red Force total.
It was the lone success for the home team, as Ottley and Katwaroo took the visitors to lunch with the scoreboard reading 307 for 5 off 104 overs, with Ottley contributing 79 and Katwaroo 60, while their sixth-wicket partnership was worth 134 runs up to the break.
Ottley was the first to post his half-century, doing so from 176 minutes of batting during which he faced 106 balls and struck seven fours, posting his 50 with the seventh boundary struck off Keon Joseph, even as Katwaroo posted his 50 from 97 balls with six fours, batting for 113 minutes.
Both batsmen celebrated their achievement with fours off the next delivery from both Joseph and Narsingh Deonarine respectively.
After lunch, the Jaguars removed Ottley who was lbw to Permaul for 82 (196 mins, 171 balls, 11×4), Ryad Emrit and Marlon Richards who were both lbw to Bishoo for 1 to be 313 for 8 and despite some lusty blows from Katwaroo and Shannon Gabriel who struck sixes off Permaul and Bishoo, a well-judged catch by Chanderpaul at deep mid-wicket accounted for Gabriel off Bishoo to wrap up the innings.
Gabriel made a quick-fire 16 (14 balls, 2×4, 1×6) while Katwaroo was unbeaten on 70 (190 mins, 170 balls, 7×4, 1×6), as Bishoo ended with 6 for 76 and Permaul 2 for 92 for the Jaguars who started their second innings with a deficit of 49.
At tea, the hosts had reduced that deficit by six runs, thanks to openers Rajendra Chandrika and Assad Fudadin who were unbeaten on 28 and 15 at the break as Guyana Jaguars reached 43 without loss and after the break, Fudadin turned Imran Khan deftly off his legs to fine leg for his third four.
With Guyana 52 without loss, Fudadin was given a life when on 22 by Cariah at slip, off Emrit in the fifth over after tea, with Cariah being forced to leave the field for medical attention after bursting the webbing on his left hand from the mishap.
Chandrika was lbw to Khan at for 31 (65,b, 5×4) at 60 for 1, before the 100 was posted off 32.5 overs and was followed by the wicket of Leon Johnson who was lbw to Jason Mohammed for 28 (44,b, 2×4, 1×6) at 108 for 3, 30 minutes before close of play.
Fudadin got his half-century from 114 balls, with seven fours while batting for 137 minutes, but was bowled by Mohammed at 111 for 3 shortly after, for 50, before the home team ended the day on 120 for 3, with Narsingh Deonarine on 6 and Bishoo 4, while Mohammed has so far taken 2 for 9.

SCORECARD

(GUYANA JAGUARS 291)

T&T RED FORCE 1st innings (o/n 173/4)
J. Solozano c Singh b Barnwell 3
I. Khan c wkp. Bramble b Deonarine 18
K. Ottley c Chanderpaul b Bishoo 34
Y. Cariah c Bramble b Bishoo 71
J. Mohammed lbw b Permaul 13
Y. Ottley lbw b Permaul 82
S. Katwaroo not out 70
R. Emrit c Bramble b Bishoo 1
M. Richards lbw b Bishoo 1
B. Charles c Barnwell b Bishoo 0
S. Gabriel c Chanderpaul b Bishoo 16
Extras: (nb-17, lb-2, b-12) 31
Total: (all out off 114.5 overs) 340
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-33, 3-112, 4-146, 5-173, 6-310, 7-311, 8-313, 9-316.
Bowling: Joseph 12-0-56-0 (nb-13) Barnwell 9-2-38-1 Deonarine 21-9-54-1 Permaul 39-10-92-2 Bishoo 31.5-3-76-6 (nb-4) Johnson 2-0-7-0.
GUYANA Jaguars 2nd innings
R. Chandrika lbw b Khan 31
A. Fudadin b Mohammed 50
L. Johnson lbw b Mohammed 28
N. Deonarine not out 6
D. Bishoo not out 4
Extras: (b-1) 1
Total: (for 3 wkts, off 43 overs) 120
Fall of wickets: 1-60, 2-108, 3-111.
Bowling: Gabriel 7-1-27-0, Richards 4-1-11-0, Emrit 8-5-17-0, Khan 12-2-37-1, Charles 7-0-18-0, Mohammed 5-2-9-2.

By Calvin Roberts