Jamaica take first innings points

KINGSTON: Jamaica took first-innings points,  holding a 34-run lead over Guyana at the close of yesterday’s second day of play in the Carib Beer Series regional cricket match at Sabina Park. Going into today’s third day, Guyana have 222 and 14 for one, while Jamaica scored 270 in their first innings. Batting a second time, the Guyanese lost Sewnarine Chattergoon for four in the last over, brilliantly taken in the gully by Brenton Parchment off the bowling of medium-pacer David  Bernard. Krishna Arjune was not out on eight. For Guyana, both leftarm spinner and captain Neil McGarrell and rightarm legspinner Mahen-dra Nagamootoo took four wickets,  staging a courageous fightback in post-lunch play.

Jamaica were cruising at 177 for the loss of four wickets, with Bernard (51) and Tamar Lambert (55) posting half-centuries. McGarrell removed both; first having Lambert caught behind by wicketkeeper Vishal Nagamootoo, and then with the addition of 17 runs inducing an edge from Bernard to Nagamootoo at first slip. Lambert was scoring his second half-century of the season. He struck five fours and one six off 102 deliveries and batted for 115 minutes. Bernard hit six boundaries off 128 balls and batted for 171 minutes. In the final over before the tea break, McGarrell bowled Mario Ventura for ten as Jamaica went to the interval at 197 for six. McGarrell and Naga-mootoo, the only Test players on the team, made further inroads on Jamaica’s batting. Only the veteran allrounder Nehemiah Perry, batting with a runner, held them at bay with a gritty 33.

McGarrell’s wickets cost 45 runs and came in 25 overs, while Nagamootoo bowled 24.4 overs which cost 75 runs. The home team resumed at four without loss, but lost the wickets of Parchment for one, Donovan Pagon for 24 and Keith Hibbert for an attacking 41. Parchment was caught by wicketkeeper Nagamootoo off fastbowler Rayon Thomas with the score on 20.  Pagon was also caught at the wicket off Mahendra Nagamootoo with the score on 57. Nagamootoo, a former West Indies player, also picked up the wicket of Parchment, caught by Arjune with the score on 80. He hit five fours and two sixes. Jamaica came into the match with three points, having lost first-innings points to the Windward Islands in their opening match. Guyana, who lost their opening match to Barbados, are bottom of the eight-team competition without a point.