Giddings’ fiery spell helps Guyana clinch thriller over Jamaica

CWI Women’s T20 Blaze…

– Smartt hits 44, Thompson grabs 3-16

Story and Photos by Brandon Corlette

The Guyana Women’s Cricket Team could not contain their ecstasy, and literally jumped for joy when they registered a nail-biting 20-run win over Jamaica in a Blaze T20 match played on Sunday before a small but very vocal and partisan crowd at the National Stadium at Providence in Demerara, Guyana.
It means that the Guyanese have now won consecutive matches in this T20 Blaze tournament, since the previous game they played resulted in defeat for the Windward Islands Team.
In this encounter, Jamaica won the toss and elected to field first under clear skies at the National Stadium at Providence. The Guyanese openers Sheneta Grimmond and Tremayne Smartt started in positive mode, adding 61 runs in 9.4 overs.

Grimmond was the first dismissal when she was out caught by Corrine Howell off the bowling of off-spinner Vanessa Watts for 25 scored from 27 balls. She had stroked one four and hit two sixes into the leg-side off the bowling of Stafanie Taylor in the ninth over.
Shemaine Campbelle partnered Tucber Park player Smartt, but 17 runs later, Smartt missed out on a well-deserved half-century when she was out bowled playing back to Vanesa Watts. Smartt made 44 runs from 36 balls, which contained three fours and two sixes.
Smartt hit fast bowler Chinelle Henry into the red stands, and repeated the six-hitting feat by smashing Stafanie Taylor over wide long-on.
Guyana’s middle order failed after Campbelle fell for 11 from 13 balls, out caught at backward point by Chedean Nation off the bowling of Jodian Morgan at 85-3.
Shabika Gajnabi (10), Erva Giddings (09), Akaze Thompson (03) and Cherry Ann Fraser (05) all fell cheaply. On the final ball of the innings, Plaffiana Millington was run-out, leaving Melanie Henry (02) unbeaten as Guyana finished on a par 114-8 in 20 overs.

Guyana scored 114-8 and successfully defended the small target when they bowled out Jamaica for 94 on the back of Erva Giddings’ impressive player of the match 3-13 in four brilliant overs.
In hot pursuit of the small target of 115, Jamaica ran into an Erva Giddings roadblock and lost their first wicket in the second over. The ever consistent Erva Giddings castled the stumps of Jodian Morgan (01) when she failed to deal with a Giddings in-swinger.
Natasha McLean hit two cracking fours, but Giddings got the final laugh when she shattered the stumps of Natasha McLean at 15-2 in 3.4 overs. McLean was out for 12 from 10 balls, but Stafanie Taylor anchored the innings. From the non-strikers end, Taylor watched Chedean Nation (01) get bowled by Plaffiana Millington at 18-3.
Giddings, who bowled her four-over spell on the trot, then got her third victim in Rashada Williams (00), whose furniture she destroyed, smashing the stumps at 19-4. At the halfway stage, Jamaica were reeling at 40-4, with Taylor on 20 from 33 balls.
Stafanie Taylor, batting at number three, found a reliable partner in Chinelle Henry. The pair added 49 runs before Henry was bowled by Akae Thompson for 12, with the score on 68-5. The game, however, remained in the balance, since Jamaica captain Stafanie Taylor remained the key.
Tameka Sandford (07) was Thompson’s next victim at 87-6, as Guyana had the small crowd behind them. The game changing moment came when Stafanie Taylor was bowed by off-spinner Sheneta Grimmond for an innings defying 48 from 57 balls.
It was celebration time at Providence, as the Guyana U-19 Female Team in the dressing room celebrated that wicket as a World Cup win. After Taylor departed at 89-7, Jamaica lost all hope and were bundled out for 94 in 18.4 overs as Guyana danced to a 20-run win.
‘Player of the match’ Erva Giddings had 3-13 in 4 overs bowling 15 dot balls, while Akaze Thompson had 3-16 in 3.4 overs bowling 13 dots. Sheneta Grimmond finished with 2-18, while Millington, opening the bowling, had 1-12 in three overs.
Speaking after the match, Erva Giddings, who has won player of the match awards in back-to-back matches, said it was a great feeling to defeat a big team like Jamaica. The 33-year-old added that she got the ball to swing.
“Our game plan was simple: bowl the ball in the right areas”, Giddings disclosed. She said the runs Guyana posted were insufficient, “but we still had belief to win”, Giddings explained. Jamaica batting collapsed twice in as many matches: when they were bowled out for 95 against Barbados, and now being bowled out for 94 by the Guyana team.
The next match for the Guyanese will be against Windward Islands on Tuesday April 2, 2019 from 19:00h local time at the National Stadium at Providence.