Guyana Harpy Eagles’ final practice match: Brilliant Beaton bags five after Chanderpaul’s magnificent 163

By Brandon Corlette at Providence

The returning Ronsford Beaton bowled with hostility on day three of the Guyana Harpy Eagles’ final practice match at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, and stole the show with 5-60 in 13.2 overs at stumps.

On a day which started with sunshine and ended with rain, Tagenarine Chanderpaul ended his innings on 163, but Beaton’s performance upstaged even this outstanding performance from the young Tiger.
Leon Johnson’s XI, chasing 264 to win, ended the day with 171-8 after 44.2 overs, with Tevin Imlach making a half-century in the Johnson XI’s second innings.
Resuming the day on 245-5, Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s XI posted 346 all out, leaving Leon Johnson’s XI a target of 264 runs to get in five sessions. Chanderpaul began the day on 139, and was eventually dismissed for 163. He batted for 278 balls in 392 minutes, and his innings was decorated with 21 fours and one six.

Kevin Sinclair scored 33, after adding 48 runs with Chanderpaul for the sixth wicket. With the score on 290-6, Gudakesh Motie then partnered Chanderpaul, and the duo added 25 runs. Motie came and slammed boundaries while Chanderpaul fell at 315-7, caught by keeper Tevin Imlach for a well-played 163.
Motie took on Joshua Jones, but the pacer got the final laugh when he removed him for 31, after he had struck four fours and one six in his breezy innings. That final wicket fell on the stroke of lunch, with Chanderpaul’s XI posting 346 after 98.4 overs.
Jones was the pick of the bowlers with 3-35 in 8.4 overs, while Junior Sinclair had 2-49 in 18 overs.

In the Johnson XI’s second innings, Chandrapaul Hemraj left a moving ball off Ronsford Beaton and lost his stumps. The aggressive Hemraj got off the mark with a four, but that was “all she wrote.”
At 5-1, Johnson rushed out to the middle and played some good shots, but in playing a sweep shot, he was adjudged leg-before to Kevin Sinclair for 18, in what looked like a questionable decision.
At tea on day three, the Johnson XI were 81-2, with opener Tevin Imlach on 49 and Vishaul Singh on nine. The final session took a while to get going after a delay due to the late arrival of tea. Upon the resumption, Imlach got his half-century, but soon gifted his wicket in hitting a Steven Sankar long-hop to the fielder for 55 from 108 balls, inclusive of six fours.
Akshaya Persaud continued his struggles against Beaton, and was dismissed for five, while Junior Sinclair was removed for one. Keemo Paul came and struck three fours and one commanding six over Beaton’s head, but his short stay was ended on 21. Beaton continued his aggressive bowling, and Vishaul Singh was bounced out for nine.
Anthony Bramble came and looked fearless, but made only 20, while the attacking Clinton Pestano scored an unbeaten 34 when rain ended the day’s play. In addition to Beaton’s 5-60, Gudakesh Motie, Kevin Sinclair and Sankar had one wicket each.
The final day’s play will commence from 10:00h at Providence.
The Guyana Harpy Eagles will depart to play the Cricket West Indies Regional Four-Day tournament from May 18 against Barbados Pride.