Devers bowls Selected XI to victory over UG/UWI
By Faizool Deo
Guyana Chronicle
November 3, 2003
PROVING that he is not just capable of writing and announcing cricket, sports journalist Sean Devers with his off- spinners captured four of the last six wickets of the UG-UWI X1 innings to give the Selected X1 a 51-run win in the University of Guyana 40 overs commemorative cricket match, at the GGC ground, Bourda, yesterday.
Devers who copped the best bowler and man-of-the-match titles, made good with the ball after failing with the bat. He took four wickets for 19 runs in 5.2 overs to steer his team to victory, capturing the wickets of Raymond Singh (17), former Barbados and West Indies batsman Carlisle Best (10), Mohammed Sholin (4) and University of Guyana Professor Patrick Williams for (7).
Final scores: Selected X1 189 all out in 36.3 overs, UG/UWI 138 all out in 31.2 overs.
Along with Devers, Laurence Farnum played his part with the bat hitting a quick-fire 45 runs, which included four fours and a six. The irony in the entire match though is that Farnum was not originally selected to play in the final eleven, but only got his place because national wicketkeeper Vishal Nagamootoo did not turn up to play.
Even though the match was won by the names mentioned above, the older players were the crowd favourites, including Gordon Greenidge, Dr Mark Kirton and Prof. Patrick Williams.
Ever single run or good ball bowled was cheered on by the vocal crowd, which included University of Guyana students, and lecturers, Minister of Culture Youth and Sport. Gail Teixeira and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana Dr James Rose.
After winning the toss the Selected X1 decided to bat, with Gordon Greenidge and Gareth Breese, the Jamaican and West Indies player, opening the batting, while the UG/UWI opened their bowling with former Guyana and West Indies fast bowler Colin Stuart, who has seemingly retired from cricket to further his studies at the University of Guyana, and Marvin Forde.
After Stuart’s second over he opted to come out of the attack, and was replaced by Williams. Forde, running in from the Regent Street, end got rid of Breese trapped lbw for 7.
After that Neil Barry joined Greenidge and the duo carried the score to 55, adding 42 for the second wicket. It was then that Williams grabbed the wickets of Greenidge and then Barry for 18 and 25 respectively.
With three wickets gone Roger Harper and Farnum who was already at the crease added the highest partnership of the innings making 52 for the fourth wicket.
With Harper gone for 29, Carlisle Best and Kirton with their right-arm off-spin grabbed the remaining wickets. Best dismissed Lloyd Harper (6), Paul Chan-a-Sue (4) and Clyde Butts (7), while Kirton claimed the scalps of Farnum (45) and Bernard Julian (6), bowling out the Selected X1 for 189.
When the UG/UWI took the crease, Ramnarine Chattergoon and former West Indies opener Philo Wallace opened the batting, giving the University a reasonable start, putting on 23 before the first wicket fell at the same score with Neil Barry bowling Wallace for 20. After Wallace’s dismissal Forde joined Chattergoon and the two carried the score to 71, with Chattergoon going after all the bowlers, finally losing his wicket for 34 to Breese, while Butts got the wicket of Forde for 21.
After that it was the attack of Devers who grabbed four of the last six wickets to win the match for his team.
SELECTED X1 innings
G. Greenidge c Stuart b Williams 18
G. Breese lbw M. Forde 7
N. Barry c Wallace b Williams 25
L. Farnum c Williams b Kirton 45
R. Harper b Chattergoon 29
L. Harper b Best 6
P. Chan-a-Sue lbw Best 4
C. Butts c Chattergoon b Best 7
G. Norton not out 6
B. Julien stp. Wallace b Kirton 6
S. Devers run-out 0
Extras: (b-5, lb-7, nb-2, w-22) 35
Total: (all out in 36.3 overs) 189
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-55, 3-73, 4-125, 5-163, 6-163, 7-168, 8-89, 9-189.
Bowling: C. Stuart 2-0-3-0 (w-2), M. Forde 5-1-16-1 (nb-1, w-1), P. Williams 8-0-30-2 (w-1), R. Singh 8-1-49-0 (w-13) R. Chattergoon 7-0-39-1 (w-2), C. Best 4-0-29-3, M. Kirton 1.2-0-4-2, A. Fudadin 1-0-9-0.
UG/UWI innings
R. Chattergoon c Harper b Breese 34
P. Wallace b Barry 20
M. Forde b Butts 21
R. Singh c Breese b Devers 17
A. Fudadin run-out 0
C. Best c Barry b Devers 10
C. Stuart c sub. Suzer b Harper 3
P. Mangro run-out 0
M. Sholin b Devers 4
P. Williams b Devers 7
M. Kirton not out 0
Extras: (b-3, lb-10, w-9, nb-1) 23
Total: (all out 31.2 overs) 138
Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-71, 3-89, 4-90, 5-112, 6-113, 7-117, 8-129, 9-135.
Bowling: B. Julien 5-1-18-0 (nb-1), N. Barry 4-0-22-0 (w-3, nb-1), G. Breese 6-0-22-0, C. Butts 6-0-19-1, S. Devers 5.2–0-19-4 (w-1), G. Norton 4-0-28-0 (w-8), R. Harper 1-0-2-1.