In their third-round clash of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Professional Cricket League (PCL) 4-Day Championship Tournament against the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, Guyana Jaguars ended the opening day on 263-6 after exactly 90 overs of play at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul, rocking back and cutting during his 68
Three Jaguars batsmen struck half-centuries: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who laboured to 68; Anthony Bramble, who remained unbeaten on an aggressive 63; and Christopher Barnwell, who made an enterprising 58.
Winning the toss in glorious sunshine, Jaguars elected to bat first; and openers Chandrapaul Hemraj and Tagenarine Chanderpaul added 37 runs together before Hemraj, at his fluent best, concluded his breezy innings with a 41-ball 36 when he played a close delivery that ended up on his stumps and he was bowled all ends up by off-spinner Bryan Charles. The flamboyant lefty had struck six fours and one six in his innings.
Christopher Barnwell played an exquisite cover drive during his half-century
Captain Leon Johnson came to the crease, and was the next wicket to fall after he played one back and was trapped in front by left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein for 20, which came off 61 balls and spanned 68 minutes.
At the lunch interval, the Jaguars were 69-2, with the rock solid Chanderpaul unbeaten on 13 while Vishal Singh was the new batsman to the crease. Singh departed for four, falling to Charles with the score at 80-3, but young Chanderpaul found a reliable partner in Christopher Barnwell.
The duo took the score to 150-3 in 63 overs at the tea interval, with the Jaguars roaring. Unsurprisingly, Barnwell’s score had surpassed Chanderpaul’s at that interval, Barnwell being unbeaten on 44 from 72 balls, while Chanderpaul had blocked his way to a 183-ball 43.
A desperate appeal from Akeal Hosein
At the final session of play, Hosein got some turn and tangled Barnwell a bit. The pugnacious right-hander broke the shackles with two sweet boundaries that carried his score past another half-century, but his innings ended when Red Force captain Darren Bravo introduced himself and bagged his wicket by trapping him in front.
Barnwell departed after contributing an attractive 58, made from 104 balls and decorated with ten fours.
When Barnwell departed, an 86-run partnership with Chanderpaul came to an end, and the Jaguars were 166-4.
Bramble came, and looked busy at the crease, slamming boundaries with ease and grace. He eventually outscored Tage Chanderpaul, dominating their 85-run partnership.
Anthony Bramble took the Red Force bowlers to the cleaners in his explosive knock of 63 from 49 balls
With the day’s play quickly approaching a closure, Jaguars were 251-5 when the ‘wall’, Chanderpaul departed, caught at the wicket by Joshua Da Silva off the bowling of Bryan Charles.
Tage, who has been in decent form with his third half-century this season, managed 68 runs from 251 balls in an innings that spanned 338 minutes and included nine fours.
Promising all-rounder Kevin Sinclair fell for a third-ball duck, hitting a return catch to Charles. This off-spinner, who struck twice in his penultimate over of the day, had his ‘tail up’, but Devendra Bishoo humbled the offie with two fours, to sign off the Jaguars’ opening day on 263-6, made in 90 overs.
Bishoo ended the day on ten.
Bramble, whose bat said all he had to say, ended the day unbeaten on 63 from only 49 balls, having struck nine fours and two sixes. He will resume batting on day two with his Albion teammate Bishoo.
Charles ended his proverbial good day at the office with 4-65 reaped in 25 overs, five of which were maidens.
Action in the second day’s play, today, will bowl off from 9:30h at the National Stadium at Providence.
