… beat Essequibo by three wickets

GEORGETOWN easily disposed of Essequibo by three wickets to be crowned the 2017 Jaguars 50-over League champions when the final was played yesterday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Set 193 to win, the City-based team reached the target in 44 overs.
Asked to bat first, the visiting side had struggled to break the shackles against accurate new-ball bowling from Paul Wintz (1-34) and, in particular, Christopher Barnwell (2-32), who attacked a good-length area close to off stump and allowed the pitch to do the rest.
The batting side slipped to 24-3. Kevon Boodie who hit a four was caught off the bowling of Wintz in the first over of the innings.

Barnwell then bowled both Eknauth Persaud (0) and Ricardo Adams (7). However, the fourth-wicket pair of Kemol Savory and Keemo Paul looked quite at ease and confident from the start as they added 63 in 40 balls..
Both batsmen took 29 balls each for their total of 32 and 39 respectively, with Savory finding the ropes on four occasions while Paul smashed four boundaries and two huge sixes.

At that point, it looked like a launch pad for a challenging score, but the dismissals of both batsmen in the 12th and 16th overs sucked the momentum out of the innings.
Following those dismissals, Ricardo Peters (33), Anthony Adams (16), Mark Williams (12), and a late assault form Leoryan Ramlakhan, who made a seven-ball 21, provided some form of resistance for the visitors.

Lewis, who removed Williams, finished with 3-34, while Devon Lord and Leon Johnson were the other successful bowlers with figures of 2-25, and 2-24 respectively.
The run chase started in horrendous fashion, with the eventually winners slipping to 22-2. Both openers Andrew Lyght Jr (2) and Robin Bacchus (12) failed to deliver. Left-arm spinner Ricardo Adams (2-45), bowled Lyght Jr while Paul (2-41) trapped Bacchus leg-before-wicket.

Johnson and Barnwell then carried on fluently in a partnership worth 95 runs. The pair batted with great assurance with Johnson, the Guyana Jaguars skipper, hitting 47, which included four boundaries and a six before he was bowled by left-arm spinner Akine Adams (1-49).
At the other end, the right-hander Barnwell had stroked his way to a 68-ball 69, inclusive of seven boundaries and a six, before he was taken at the wicket by Peters (1-10), at 157-4.

Georgetown then lost Shemroy Barrington, bowled by Paul for 22; Lewis was leg-before to Ricardo Adams (17) and Dexter Solomon was caught off the bowling of Persaud (1-0), for four.

Wintz and Steven Sankar then saw their team to victory without much trouble. Barnwell was named man-of-the-match and the Most Valuable Player in the tournament.

SCOREBOARD

ESSEQUIBO innings

1. Boodie c Sankar b Wintz 4
2. Persaud b Barnwell 0
3. Savory b Lewis 32
4. Adams b Barnwell 7
5. Paul c Bacchus b Lewis 39
6. Peters c Wintz b Johnson 33
7. Williams lbw b Lewis 12

Anthony Adams lbw b Lord 16

Akine Adams not out 9

1. Jones stp. Solomon b Lord 3
2. Ramlakhan c Barnwell b Johnson 21

Extras: (lb-1, w-16) 17

Total: (all out, 38.3 overs) 192

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-9, 3-24, 4-87, 5-100, 6-121, 7-148, 8-162, 9-169.

Bowling: P. Wintz 5-0-34-1, C. Barnwell 4-0-32-2, D. Lord 8-2-25-2, K. Carmichael 1-0-9-0, R. Lewis 7-0-34-3, S. Sankar 10-0-33-0, L. Johnson 3.3-0-24-2.

GEORGETOWN innings

1. Bacchus lbw b Paul 12
2. Lyght Jr b R. Adams 2
3. Johnson b Akine Adams 47
4. Barnwell c Boodie b Peters 69
5. Barrington b Paul 22
6. Lewis lbw b R. Adams 17
7. Solomon c Paul b Persaud 4
8. Wintz not out 1
9. Sankar not out 7

Extras: (1-b, lb-5, w-5, nb-1) 12

Total: (for seven wickets, 46 overs) 197

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-22, 3-117, 4-157, 5-174, 6-183, 7-184

Bowling: R. Adams 10-1-45-2, K. Paul 10-0-41-2, Anthony Adams 10-2-24-0, Akine Adams 10-0-49-1, L. Ramlakhan 2-0-18-0, R. Peters 1-0-10-1, E. Persaud 1-1-0-1