GUYANA Jaguars carved out a six-wicket win over Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in their final game of the Regional Four-day season yesterday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Jaguars entered the final round facing a must-win situation, and after almost three days of competitive cricket they managed a step closer to retaining the Headley/Weekes trophy, the symbol of West Indies first-class supremacy.
The win, Jaguars’ seventh for the season, has carried them to 154.2 points, a lead which will now depend of the result from the final game between their closest rival, Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Barbados Pride, starting March 14.

The Hurricanes beat the Windward Islands Hurricanes by six wickets in their ninth round fixture which ended in three days yesterday to move to 131.2 points.
Technically, Hurricanes must gather 23 points out of the maximum of 24 if they have any chance of winning the title – a feat which is quite improbable.

Starting the day with 93 short of the winning target, Jaguars prospered under little pressure from a dispirited opposition to reach 163-4 in an extended first session.
Skipper Leon Johnson made an unruffled 76 and shared 111 for the third-wicket with Tagenarine Chanderpaul who, along with Anthony Bramble (20), was left unbeaten on 43 when the target was achieved.

Both overnight batsmen began on a positive note with Johnson cutting off-spinner Bryan Charles for three boundaries through backward point to eventually reach his fourth fifty of the season, off just 77 balls, counting 11 fours.
AT the other end, Chanderpaul, known for his usual endurance style got into the act, hitting Charles for an elegant straight boundary. The pair continued untroubled with the 31-year-old Johnson helping himself with a few more stylish boundaries, while 22-year-old Chanderpaul decided to play the supporting role.

The visitors were forced to toil through most of the first session for just two wickets. Johnson, after facing 125 balls in just little over two hours at the crease, was leg-before to Charles while Christopher Barnwell was out, playing a careless shot off leg-spinner Imran Khan for 12 before Bramble sealed the win with a six.

Scores in the match: T&T Red Force 120 and 206; Guyana Jaguars 165 and 163-4.
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Romario Shepherd who had match figures of 8-124 was named man-of-the-match. He eventually ended the tournament as the leading fast bowler with 37 wickets.

After the match Johnson said, “It is good to win the game. The bowlers came out yesterday (Friday) and did well … statistically, we probably have won the title. The most points from my knowledge gained in a regional game is 21.6, which we achieved a couple years ago … so barring a miracle we basically would have won the title.”

SCOREBOARD
RED FORCE 1st innings 120
JAGUARS 1st innings 165
RED FORCE 2nd innings 206
JAGUARS 2nd innings (target: 162 runs) (overnight 69 for two)
T. Chanderpaul not out 43
C. Hemraj b Anderson 0
V. Singh c Pierre b St Clair 5
L. Johnson lbw b Charles 76
C. Barnwell c Phillip b Khan 12
A. Bramble not out 20
Extras: (b-1, lb-3, nb-3) 7
Total: (for four wickets; 53.4 overs) 163
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-12, 3-123, 4-136.
Bowling: Phillip 12-3-21-1, St Clair 5-1-21-1, Smith 4-1-13-0, Charles 20.4-8-51-1, Khan 5-0-23-1, Webster 7-0-30-0.