Hooper, Nagamootoo top performers
By Sean Devers in Jamaica
Stabroek News
September 2, 2002
Guyana fell at the semi-final stage of the 2002 Red Stripe Bowl regional one-day cricket competition going down to Barbados in a rare defeat to that country in one-day cricket.
West Indies skipper Carl Hooper was the leading run scorer for Guyana despite taking a rest from the last game in the zone stage of the competition.
Hooper batted four times and scored 170 runs with a highest score of 72 in the semi-final to finish with an average of 42.2.
West Indies leg spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo had the most wickets for Guyana (10) to take his regional tally to 60, four less than Courtney Walsh who holds the record for the most wickets in regional one-day cricket.
Hooper, now with 1,768 runs, also became the new record holder for the most regional one-day runs. He however, never got prolonged support from the other end.
Cush showed aggression in his 70 against Antigua when he was asked to open the batting but his first ball duck in the semi-final meant he ended with 143 runs from five games.
Nagamootoo, one of four Guyanese on the West Indies team for the ICC trophy competition in Sri Lanka later this month, was one of only four Guyanese to score a half-century. His 63 against Trinidad was his only score of note as he ended with 98 runs from five matches.
Reon King bowled impressively although Brian Lara hit him for three sixes in the final over of the Trinidad innings after he had put down a return catch off the second ball of the over.
King ended with five wickets but his pace and movement off the seam showed that he was not far away from his best form and a possible West Indies re-call.
Left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell (5 wkts) was economical, as were Hooper (6 wkts), Cush (3 wkts) and Sarwan (6wkts). Pacer Colin Stuart (1 wkt.) played three games and Reon Griffith (2wkts) two, as Guyana based their attack on spin.
Wicket keeper Vishal Nagamootoo was very efficient behind the stumps on the two paced tracks and was just dismissed twice in his five innings which produced 55 runs with an important 24 against Trinidad being his best score.
Opener Sewnarine Chattergoon was terribly out of form. His 16 in the first game was his highest score as he totaled 42 runs from five matches.
His fellow Albion left-hander Narsingh Deonarine scored 22 runs from five matches and never once got into double figures while Travis Dowlin, brought in for the last two games, just managed one run from two innings.