GUYANA’s senior men’s cricket team, the Guyana Jaguars, could create history by becoming the only team to win five consecutive outright Regional Four-Day titles, once the result of the final season game between Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Barbados Pride goes in their favour.

Guyana ended the season with 154.2 points, a lead which will now depend on the result of the final game.
Their closest rival, the Hurricanes, moved to 131.2 points but technically, the Hurricanes must gather 23 points out of the maximum 24 if they are to have any chance of winning the title – a feat which is quite improbable.

However, if the results go the Jaguars way, the feat can be credited to the astute leadership of Captain Leon Johnson who has led the team in all five championship-winning seasons.

The 31-year-old Johnson, while accepting that this season was one of the toughest, he refused to take all the accolades for himself, but instead attributed the team’s success to the chemistry within the squad.

“Definitely it was one of the toughest seasons for us. We lost three games but I guess everything can’t be the same every year, but I am glad the guys put things together and came out victorious,” he said.
Johnson further mentioned that while the team did not live up to expectations during the latter part of the tournament, he lauded the team effort the Jaguars displayed throughout the season.

“This is a sign of a true championship side,” he declared. “When we were under pressure, we delivered the goods.”
Wicket-keeper batsman Anthony Bramble was the leading run-scorer for the Jaguars with 580 runs with two hundreds and a fifty, while left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul claimed 42 wickets.

However, Romario Shepherd has been the standout performer of the season, with 37 wickets and 315 runs.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul finished second with 542 runs at an average of 33.87, with one century and one half-century.

Johnson was in third position with 480 runs scored at an average of 32, with four half-centuries. Vishaul Singh scored 366 with three half-centuries, while Chandrapaul Hemraj scored 350 runs with a hundred and one fifty. Christopher Barnwell (307), was the only other Jaguars’ batsman with over 300 runs.

Raymond Reifer (26), Clinton Pestano (22) and Keemo Paul (20) were among the wickets this season.