After three days of brilliant sunshine, rain sliced 188 minutes out of the final day’s play, allowing for only 39 overs in the day’s play and providing for the excitement that was to follow.

When play ended in darkness at 17:49 hrs, Barbados, chasing a victory target of 138, were 121 for eight, with just two of the 15 mandatory overs completed and Dwayne Smith (12 not out) and Sulieman Benn (two not out) accepting the light offered by the umpires after their team’s frenetic run chase was aborted.

Leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo who almost gave Guyana an unlikely come-from-behind victory, finished with five for 40 from 13 overs while fast medium bowler Rayon Griffith who made the initial breakthrough took two for 56, also in 13.

Guyana were earlier dismissed for 247 after resuming on 242 for nine.

Barbados looked to be coasting to a comfortable victory at lunch with the score on 63 for three, despite losing two quick wickets with just five runs on the tins.

Griffith gave the Guyanese a dream start, knocking back the off-stump of first innings top-scorer and man-of-the-match, Philo Wallace (0), with the fourth ball of the innings then had Kurt Wilkinson (three), caught by wicketkeeper Vishal Nagamootoo, with a short rising delivery as Barbados were reeling on five for two.

The Barbadians slipped to 37 for three when experienced opener Sherwin Campbell was held at slip by skipper Neil McGarrell off Nagamootoo.

Barbados went to lunch at 63 for three with Floyd Reifer on 22 and Ryan Hinds on 14.

However, consistent drizzles just before the resumption held up play until 14:20 hrs. On the resumption, only one over was bowled as a heavier shower chased the players off the field.

Play never resumed until 16:30 hrs, following the use of gasolene to dry spots on the pitch, caused by seepage.

At that stage, the Guyana bowlers were required to send down nine overs before the start of the 15 mandatory in the last hour.

Barbados accepted the challenge with Reifer, resuming on 22 and Ryan Hinds 14, but with Guyana adopting slow tactics, by the time the nine overs were completed it was already 17:30 hrs.

Reifer (39), with five fours in 129 minutes was the first to go after the resumption, bowled by Nagamootoo with the score on 96, ending a fourth-wicket partnership of 59 in 73 minutes with Hinds.

Skipper Courtney Browne, promoted himself in the order, but failed to get going, lifting Nagamootoo straight to Andre Percival at long-on with the addition of two runs.

Dwayne Smith, with two fours off Griffith, kept Barbados in the hunt but they lost Hinds (29) lbw to Nagamootoo at 112 while Ryan Hurley (three) became Nagamotoo’s fifth victim as McGarrell held a simple catch at short third man.

The run chase was abandoned when Ian Bradshaw (one) was run-out, attempting a short single.

Earlier, Barbados wasted no time in getting rid of the last Guyana batsman when Reon King, who failed to add to his overnight 19, offered Dwayne Smith an easy catch at extra cover off left-arm spinner Benn who was only required to bowl four balls.

The other overnight batsman, Griffith, who added one to his overnight 14, was left undefeated on 15.

Benn ended with the impressive figures of five for 77 from 26.4 overs.

Leaders Barbados are now on 36 points while Guyana, who remain in the third position are on 27.

Barbados will oppose second-placed Trinidad and Tobago in a top-of-the-table clash at the Kensington Oval in Barbados while Guyana will clash with Jamaica at Bourda from Friday.

GUYANA first innings 213 (N.McGarrell 40 not out; R.Hurley three for 31, I.Bradshaw three for 49)

Barbados first innings 323 (P.Wallace 74, C. Browne 58, R. Hurley 44; N. McGarrell four for 65, N.Nagamootoo three for 109)

GUYANA second innings (o/n 242 for nine)

K.Arjune b Best 1

S.Chattergoon c Smith b Best 1

L.Cush lbw Benn 41

T.Dowlin c & b Hurley 77

A.Percival c Campbell b Benn 13

H.Pooran c Hinds b Benn 2

M.Nagamootoo c & b Benn 12

N.McGarrell c Campbell b Hinds 33

V.Nagamootoo c Campbell b Hinds 8

R.Griffith not out 15

R.King c Smith b Benn 19

Extras: (b-8, lb-9, nb-7, w-1) 25

Total: (all out, 73.4 overs) 247

Fall of wickets: 2, 3, 78, 109, 121, 135, 183, 203, 204, 247.

Bowling: Best 8-1-45-2 (w-1), Bradshaw 14-3-57-0 (nb-2), Smith 7-2-25-0 (nb-1), Benn 26.4-6-77-4, Hurley 11-5-14-1 (nb-2), Hinds 4-1-7-2, Reifer 2-0-3-0, Wilkinson 1-0-2-0 (nb-2).

BARBADOS second innings

P. Wallace b Griffith 0

S. Campbell c McGarrell b Nagamootoo 17

K.Wilkinson c wkpr Nagamootoo b Griffith 3

F.Reifer b Nagamootoo 39

R.Hinds lbw Nagamootoo 29

C.Browne c Percival b Nagamootoo 2

D.Smith not out 12

R.Hurley c McGarrell b Nagamootoo 3

I.Bradshaw run-out 1

S.Benn not out 2

Extras: (b-4, lb-3, nb-4, w-2) 13

Total: (for eight wickets, 39 overs) 121

Fall of wickets: 1, 5, 37, 96, 98, 112, 116, 118.