Guyana end Ja's hopes

By Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor

Jamaica's Gareth Breese is floored by a hit to the groin during yesterday's semi-final against Guyana at Kaiser. - Junior Dowie

JAMAICA'S bid for a place in the final of the Red Stripe Bowl limited-overs tournament ended in bitter disappointment at Kaiser yesterday when the semi-final match against Guyana ended in a thrilling tie.

According to the rules, the team with the most wins in the preliminary round moves on, and in winning Zone B, Guyana had won all three matches with victories over Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Southern Windward Islands.

Jamaica, runners-up in Zone A, defeated Northern Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands XI but lost to Trinidad and Tobago.

In a match of fluctuating fortunes that ended with Jamaica scoring 191 for nine off the allotted 50 overs, and Guyana replying with 191 for nine when last man Colin Stuart was run out off the last ball going for the winning run, Guyana appeared heading for victory at 114 for three in the 34th over with Ramnaresh Sarwan and captain Carl Hooper going well.

Then with Guyana slipping to 161 for seven and needing 31 runs off three overs, and then 11 off the final over, Jamaica appeared home and dry.

In a brilliant finish, however, Neil McGarrell, 24 not out off 15 deliveries, and Stuart, 14 off eight, levelled the score before Stuart, choked by a straight, well-pitched delivery from offspinner Marlon Samuels, blocked the last ball as the batsmen, with nothing to lose, took off for what would have been the winning run.

Batting first on a pitch from which the ball bounced awkwardly at the start and again towards the end, Jamaica, finalists in the regional tournament on nine occasions, recovered from a staggering 75 for five in the 30th over with captain Roberts Samuels scoring 52 off 69 deliveries and Gareth Breese 41 off 49.

Going into the match as slight underdogs, Jamaica must have spent the previous night hoping they would win the toss so that they could send Guyana to bat first on the new pitch.

That, however, was not to be. Guyana won the toss and Jamaica were under pressure from the second over when, with fast bowler Stuart steaming in from the south, the ball hit the seam twice and jumped at the diminutive Leon Garrick - the first one hitting the batsman on the left forearm.

Whether the awkward bounce of the ball had anything to do with his careless stroke, only the batsman can say, but in the fifth over, left-hander Christopher Gayle, drove loosely at pacer Reon King, the ball flew high to point and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, running to his right from extra-cover, took the catch to make it 13 for one.

In King's next over, it was 17 for two when Garrick went back defensively and edged a catch to the impressive Vishal Nagamootoo behind the wicket; and when left-hander Wavell Hinds, after two lovely offside drives off left-arm spinner McGarrell, attempted to drive offspinner Hooper off the back foot and edged to Vishal Nagamootoo, it was 51 for three in the 23rd over.

Ricardo Powell, going back, pulling away and cutting at legspinner Mahendra Nagamootoo, was bowled at 66 for four; and Marlon Samuels made it 75 for five when he went back, attempted to pull legspinner Sewnarine Chattergoon through mid-wicket, missed and was bowled.

Fortunately for Jamaica, big brother Robert was in fine form - and so too Breese who was hit on the "box" by Stuart, retired hurt at 15 at 106 for five in the 39th, and returned at 158 for seven to help the cause.

At Sabina Park against Trinidad and Tobago the two batsmen combined to score 19 runs off the last 13 overs. Yesterday, Samuels blasted two sixes off Chattergoon, stroked three boundaries before he sliced a full toss from McGarrell to King at backward point at 169 for eight in the 49th over, and Breese hit one six and stroked three boundaries before he was run out in the final over after blasting King for a six and two fours.

With Guyana left to score at a rate of 3.82 runs per over on a pitch off which the ball was by then bouncing more reliable, fast bowler Jermaine Lawson removed Andrew Gonsalves - caught by wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert at four for one in the second over.

Legspinner Brian Murphy removed Chattergoon - caught by Hibbert at 31 for two in the 14th over, and when Chanderpaul was stumped by Hibbert off offspinner Powell at 58 for three in the 20th over, Jamaica were going well.

The experienced Hooper then joined the talented Sarwan, however, and with Robert Samuels using his bowlers in short spells, together they beat back Jamaica, gradually took control, and with both batsmen looking set, Guyana appeared on the way to a comfortable victory.

Out of the blue, however, Jamaica struck, both batsmen were cut down in consecutive overs by deliveries that bounced unusually high, and Jamaica appeared on the way.

Sarwan was the first to go for 35 at 114 for four in the 34th over - the batsman cutting at an offspinner from Breese and the ball flying off the top edge to Powell going to his left at backward point. Hooper, going back to steer pacer Laurie Williams to third man, never had a chance - the ball, fast and flying off the seam, nicking the edge before he could pull the bat away.

At that stage, it looked all over for Guyana, at 145 when Mahendra Nagamootoo attempted a reverse sweep against Breese and was bowled to make it six down in the 44th over, things really looked dim, and at 165 for eight when Vishal Nagamootoo was run out in the 48th over, the army of Jamaican fans were looking towards Sunday and the final against either Trinidad and Tobago or Barbados.

One huge six by Stuart off Marlon Samuels, however, two lovely boundaries, one in the last over, by McGarrell, and some good running between wickets, sent them home in disappointment as Guyana, five times straight between 1995 and 1999, squeezed into their 10th final.

SCOREBOARD

Jamaica innings

L. Garrick c Hooper b King 11

C. Gayle c Chanderpaul b King 1

W. Hinds c V. Nagamootoo b Hooper 21

M. Samuels b Chattergoon 15

R. Powell b M. Nagamootoo 7

R. Samuels c King b McGarrell 52

G. Breese run out 42

L. Williams c Chattergoon b King 17

B. Murphy c Gonsalves b McGarrell 2

K. Hibbert not out 3

J. Lawson not out 0

Extras (lb3, nb5, w12) 20

Total (nine wkts - 50 overs) 191

Fall: 1-13, 2-17, 3-51, 4-66, 5-75, 6-154, 7-158, 8-169, 9-190.

Bowling: King 9-1-51-3 (w1), Stuart 8-0-30-0 (w5, nb3), Hooper 7-1-8-1 (nb2), McGarrell 10-3-41-2 (w3), M. Nagamootoo 10-2-33-1 (w3), Chattergoon 6-0-25-1.

Guyana innings

A. Gonsalves c Hibbert b Lawson 3

S. Chattergoon c Hibbert b Murphy 18

R. Sarwan c Powell b Breese 35

S. Chanderpaul stp Hibbert b Powell 12

C. Hooper c Hibbert b Williams 31

T. Dowlin c Breese b Samuels 22

M. Nagamootoo b Breese 10

N. McGarrell not out 24

V. Nagamootoo run out 0

C. Stuart run out 14

Extras (b1, lb3, w17, nb1) 22

Total (nine wkts - 50 overs) 191

Fall: 1-4, 2-31, 3-58, 4-114, 5-119, 6-145, 7-161, 8-165, 9-191.

Bowling: Williams 10-3-20-1 (w3), Lawson 8-2-31-1 (w3), Murphy 4-0-19-1 (w2), Powell 4-0-16-1 (w1), M. Samuels 6-0-48-1 (w7), Breese 10-0-34-2 (nb1), Gayle 6-0-19-0 (w1).

Match tied but Guyana advance to final.

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