SAMUELS... scored a spanking 91 against Guyana yesterday. - FILE
WEYMOUTH, Barbados, CMC:
DESPITE AN unbeaten 91 from Marlon Samuels, Guyana condemned Jamaica to struggle for a place in the semi-finals of the 2005 KFC Cup with a narrow seven-run win at the Police Sports Club yesterday.
Set a modest looking 220 to win, the Jamaicans made hard work of the target on a slow wicket and sluggish outfield and eventually came up short.
Samuels, recently recalled by the West Indies for the tour of Australia, batted valiantly but his efforts were not enough to gain the boys from the land of reggae their first win and their first points of the tournament.
The Guyanese, sent in to bat by Jamaican captain Wavell Hinds, lost opener Ryan Ramdass (three) in the sixth over with the score on 19, when he ran himself out seeking an impossible second run.
Reinstated West Indies vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan again exhibited his present rich vein of form and was immediately in his stride, striking pacer Dwight Washington to the cover boundary to get off the mark.
PURPLE PATCH FOR SARWAN
The elegant right-hander, following on from his two centuries in his two previous innings, hammered 63 from 59 balls with six fours to kick start the Guyana innings. When opener Sewnarine Chattergoon was caught by 'keeper Carlton Baugh Jr for 17 with the score on 45, Sarwan found an able partner in Narsingh Deonarine, and added a further 49 in 12.3 overs for the third wicket.
Deonarine, who made 18, became the second run out victim through the slick work of Dave Bernard Jr and his dismissal triggered a mini middle-order slide in which skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sarwan fell in the space of seven runs.
SARWAN FALLS TO SECOND DELIVERY
Chanderpaul holed out to Brenton Parchment at long off, off Gareth Breese for 12, while Sarwan succumbed to a smart stumping by Baugh of the second delivery from left-arm orthodox spinner Nikita Miller's first over.
Miller's introduction put the brakes on the scoring rate in a measly first spell and it was only a late dash by the lower order, admirably led by Mahendra Nagamootoo, which lifted the total past the 200 mark.
The Man-of-the-Match Naga-mootoo hit 31 from 17 balls with one four and three sixes and shared a crucial, ninth wicket stand of 37 with Neil McGarrell (14).
The Jamaican reply was given a spirited start by Brenton Parchment (23) who opened with skipper Hinds, the latter of whom found scoring difficult throughout his innings of 16 that occupied 52 balls. After Parchment went with the score on 31, Hinds' labour finally came to an end when he was well caught by Chattergoon on the deep mid-wicket boundary in the 19th over.
Samuels, in his usual smooth, elegant style, got together with vice captain Tamar Lambert to keep the Jamaicans' hopes up in a 105-run partnership for the fourth wicket, after super-sub Xavier Marshall was run out for 11 by Narsingh Deonarine at point, attempting a sharp single. The right-hander struck two fours and one six in his 129-ball knock while Lambert hit 48 from 70 balls to put Jamaica on course.
JAMAICA SLIPS
When Lambert fell with the score on 178, Samuels then became a virtual on-looker as the wickets of Baugh, Dave Bernard and Danza Hyatt fell around him as Jamaica slipped to 198 for seven, losing four wickets for 20 runs.
When Breese arrived at the crease in the 49th over, the target was an imposing 22 runs off eight deliveries and proved too much for Jamaica.
Nagamootoo finished with two for 54 while McGarrell chipped in with two for 37.
Jamaica are still in with a mathematical chance of qualifying for next week's Final Four in Guyana but will need the results in the other fixtures to go in their favour.
The Guyanese look certain for a place in the knockout round which will be played in their homeland.
Jamaica face fellow non-winners Trinidad and Tobago today.
SCOREBOARD
Guyana innings
R. Ramdass run out 3
S. Chattergoon c Baugh b Powell 17
R. Sarwan st Baugh b Miller 63
N. Deonarine run out (Bernard) 18
S. Chanderpaul c Parchment b Breese 12
L. Cush lbw Miller 11
A. Fuddadin c Breese b Samuels 17
D. Christian run out (Miller) 19
N. McGarrell lbw Miller 14
M. Nagamootoo b Samuels 31
K. Griffith not out 2
Extras (b1, w9, nb2) 12
TOTAL (all out, 49.3 overs) 219
Fall: 19, 45, 94, 118, 125, 140, 169, 174, 211, 219.
Bowling: Powell 7-0-31-1, Washington 6-0-28-1, Bernard 8-1-33-1, Samuels 9.3-0-60-2, Breese 10-1-31-1, Miller 9-2-35-3.
Jamaica innings
W. Hinds c Chattergoon b McGarrell 16
B. Parchment c King b Griffith 23
M. Samuels not out 91
X. Marshall run out (Deonarine) 11
T. Lambert st Christian b Nagamootoo 48
C. Baugh c&b McGarrell 0
D. Bernard c Christian b Nagamootoo 2
D. Hyatt run out McGarrell 4
G. Breese not out 9
Extras (b2, lb2, w4) 8
TOTAL (for seven wkts - 50 overs) 212
Fall: 31, 57, 73, 178, 179, 182, 198.
Bowling: Griffith 8-1-25-1, King 8-1-28-0, McGarrell 10-0-37-2 (w1), Deonarine 9-0-30-0 (w1), Nagamootoo 10-0-54-2 (w1), Sarwan 3-0-22-0 (w1), Cush 2-0-12-0.
Result: Guyana won by seven runs.
Man-of-the-Match: Mahendra Nagamootoo.
