Beating Barbados meant a lot for Guyana, says Captain Johnson

By Brandon Corlette in Trinidad

Guyana Harpy Eagles Captain Leon Johnson was the rock in the small chase of 68 against Barbados Pride. He played a supportive role to Tagenarine Chanderpaul, and after the win, he and the entire team celebrated in style.
He noted that this win means a lot for Guyana, since the team were returning to Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Four-Day championships under a bit of pressure.

“It means a lot for us. Wins against Barbados are always special. They came here with a very good side, and we (Guyana) have been under the pump. Batting-wise, we came in the game with a bit of pressure, and we delivered. Scoring 490 runs in the first innings, I think we set it up very well,” Johnson said.

Guyana’s remaining matches will be against Jamaica Scorpions and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, and Johnson and his troops will be taking it one game at a time.

“We can only control our performances,” he said. “We have a game against Jamaica, and then the last one against Trinidad. We cannot control other people’s performance. We can only control what we can, and if we are able to win the next two matches, we put ourselves in contention to win the championships again.”

Chanderpaul and Gudakesh Motie scored contrasting centuries and that was pleasing for Johnson. “It was pleasing. Much more pleasing that one came for Motie; that was good to see him get his first hundred. For Tage (Chanderpaul), a lot of things were said in the media. I heard one thing, that he was back-up opener. He played this game, and showed his class, his worth, and not only in the first innings. In the second innings, with the game in the balance, he took it away from Barbados,” Johnson said after the game.

Heading into the next game, the skipper said Guyana could be a bit more patient in the bowling department. In terms of fielding, Guyana dropped a few catches, and Johnson noted that the team would work on this, since the Guyanese pride themselves on being one of the best fielding teams.
Anthony Bramble, who was struck on the hand while batting on 38, did not feature in the match after that. However, Johnson said Bramble was prepared to bat, and a couple of days’ rest would be good for him and he would be ready for the next game.