AFTER having suffered a crushing blow to their chances of claiming top spot in Zone B when they were narrowly edged out by Windwards Volcanoes in both rounds of the NAGICO Super50 series, the Guyana Jaguars regained some momentum and their winning ways when they whipped Leewards Hurricanes by seven wickets in their crucial second round match at the St Paul’s Complex in St Kitts yesterday.Fast bowler Romario Shepherd announced his arrival on the regional big stage and put on an impressive display in his senior debut outing for the Jaguars. He finished with outstanding analysis of 10-2-37-3 and got the nod for the Man-of-the-Match award.
The evergreen Shivnarine Chanderpaul proved his immense value to the Jaguars’ effort of vying for top honours when he rallied the team to a seven-wicket victory with 3.4 overs remaining. The margin of victory seemed big but it was a mighty battle for 46.2 overs to get the 174 runs to secure second spot in Zone B.
Chanderpaul batted for 105 minutes and faced 85 deliveries for his unbeaten 57 that contained five boundaries. Raymon Reifer was the other not-out batsman on 16 (31 balls, 1×4).
Asad Fudadin 27 (60 balls, 2x4s) opened the batting with Vishaul Singh 44 (81 balls, 3x4s) and they posted 65 for the first wicket before Jamaica leg-spinner and franchise player Odean Brown removed both of them. Skipper Leon Johnson’s miserable form continues and he made 13 (22 balls, 1×4, 1×6).
But Chanderpaul together with Reifer defied every trick that Leewards bowlers tried and rallied the Jaguars to another important victory.
Earlier, the Leewards Volcanoes elected to bat first after they won the toss. And it presented the opportunity and challenge for newcomer Shepherd to make his mark. He did not disappoint and bowled two consecutive maiden overs but crucially picked up two wickets in the second.
Shepherd removed opener Shane Jeffers, caught by wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble for 0 (1/8, 2.3 overs) and followed up two balls later with Montcin Hodge, bowled for a duck (2/8, 2.5 overs).
Steven Jacobs dismissed Jamaican-born Nkrumah Bonner, lbw for 14 (3/54, 15.2 overs) while left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul removed the talented Chesney Hughes, lbw for 33 (59 balls, 3×4, 1×6) (4/60, 18.5 overs) and Daron Cruickshank, caught Shepherd 14 (5/85, 29 overs).
Reifer bowled Jahmar Hamilton for 13 (1/108, 38.5 overs) while Shepherd returned to knock over Orlando Peters’ stumps for 24 (7/111, 40.1 overs).
There was some resistance from burly Rahkeem Cornwall 35 (36 balls, 1×4, 2x6s) and Jacques Taylor (18) who together fashioned an entertaining 58-run eighth-wicket partnership.
Reifer (9-0-47-2) scalped Taylor while Royston Crandon (0.4-0-1-2) picked up two wickets, those of Cornwall, stumped by wicketkeeper Bramble and Odean Brown, caught by Shepherd for zero in his unfinished one over.
By BRIJ PARASNATH