Guyana batsmen make TT bowlers toil

GEORGETOWN: Guyana picked up first-innings points over Trinidad yesterday, closing day two of their Carib Beer Series regional cricket match at 237 for six wickets in reply to Trinidad’s 143. Guyana passed the paltry score made by the visiting team after tea before losing the wickets in quick succession of Travis Dowlin, for 67, and Narsingh Deonarine, for 71. Later in the afternoon session, Leon Johnson went out for four. The first innings advantage now gives Guyana’s their first real points in the tournament, after they picked up a mere four points from the rain-affected fourth-round match against the Leeward Islands. The team had lost their previous three away fixtures in the Caribbean. At the end of the second day’s play yesterday, Vishal Nagamootoo was not out on zero, and all-rounder Damodar Dasrath was not out on 30.

The Trinidadians struggled on the flat Albion wicket all day as they tried to separate Dowlin and Deonarine, who batted through the first two sessions to yield 131 toward their team’s total. Later in the day, captain Neil McGarrell and all-rounder Dasrath put together a partnership of 68 before McGarrell went caught behind for 34. His knock ensured that he became the fourth Guyanese all-rounder after Roger Harper, Carl Hooper and Mahendra Nagamootoo to make more than 1,000 runs and take more than 100 wickets at this level. Rain had stopped play for 33 minutes in the day.