Home Sports Jaguars set to cross 1 more hurdle this season – Griffith makes...
2018-2019 CWI Regional 4-Day tournament…
By Brandon Corlette
Fresh from their victory over the Barbados Pride, the Leon Johnson- led Guyana Jaguars will be seeking to finish their Regional 4-Day campaign on a positive note when they play the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the pink ball day/night fixture starting from Thursday, March 7, at the National Stadium at Providence, Guyana.
The match is scheduled for a 14:00h local time start, and it is expected that more cricket enthusiasts would fill the stands than had been the case of late.
Speaking after the victory in the ninth round clash against Barbados Pride, player of the match, Raymon Reifer, was grateful for the win, since the Jaguars are in a position requiring that they register two wins in the final two matches to finish champions of the CWI PCL Regional 4-Day Tournament.
Senior Jaguars batsman Vishaul Singh also reflected on the Jaguars’ triumph, and it is recognised that the Jaguars are hungry for a fifth consecutive title.
Peeking into the future, Singh has stated that the Jaguars will be playing the 10th and final round of the 2018-2019 season as a grand finale. He said the Jaguars are taking each game on its merits, and are upbeat at the prospect of defeating the Red Force, after returning to winning ways since the Pride victory.
He also said the seven wicket win against Pride was a good win, since the team needed two wins to ensure a fifth title. The Head Coach is calling for the batsmen to ‘make it right’ in the final round of the season.
“We still have to bat. We need bigger totals. With the team having deep batting, we should score at least 350 runs”, Griffith predicted.
Jaguar’s team consists of 10 players with First Class half-centuries, except Ramaal Lewis, who made his debut in the ninth round.
Further, Griffith reflected on the progress made in the catching department. He specifically hailed Singh and Lewis for their outstanding catching in the ninth round match against Pride. Speaking on the day/night encounter, Griffith explained that the team would have to acclimatise itself to the different conditions and the moving pink ball.
Additionally, Jaguars captain Leon Johnson, already on the verge of being the most successful captain in the Region in capturing his fifth consecutive title, has stated that the team could put up a better first innings total with the bat. The courageous Jaguars captain said the bowling has been on point, and he hailed Raymon Reifer for his complete performance, as well as each member of the team that contributed to the complete team effort.
At the end of nine matches, Jaguars recorded six wins and suffered three losses, through the hiccups. They have maintained a lead this season, with 134.2 points. Anthony Bramble remains the Jaguars’ leading run scorer with 498 runs, followed by Tagenarine Chanderpaul who has 491 runs this season.
The only other Jaguars batsman over 400 runs this season is the flamboyant Johnson, who has 404 runs and averages 31.07 in what he described as an up and down season. Chandrapaul Hemraj and Vishaul Singh have 346 runs and 344 runs respectively. Veerasammy Permaul and Romario Shepherd have the most wickets for Jaguars with 39 and 29 respectively.
Jaguars will be facing a Red Force team that is fresh from a win over the Windward Islands Volcanoes on the back of Imran Khan’s and Khary Pierre’s brilliance, and captain Denesh Ramdin who scored a fighting half-century.
