ROSEAU, Dominica, (CMC) - Setting themselves the objective of winning their remaining three home matches, Windward Islands completed a 131-run triumph over pointless Guyana in the third round of the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series at the Botanic Gardens yesterday.
Guyana, set 255 runs to win, plummeted to their third straight defeat in as many matches when they were bowled out for 123 in their second innings in the last hour on a rain-affected last day.
The heroes for the Windwards were medium-fast bowlers Darren Sammy with a career-best five wickets for 20 runs from 19 overs that confirmed him the man-of-the-match and Deighton Butler with four for 17 from 9.2 overs.
Guyana’s opening batsmen, left-hander Sewnarine Chattergoon, whose 42 in close to five hours was the top score, and Krishna Arjune with 41 were the only batsmen to reach double figures for the Guyanese, who have made probably their worse start to the Championship in living memory.
It was only the Windwards’ second victory over Guyana in 24 West Indies first-class matches. Ironically, their previous victory by 196 runs came eight years ago at the out-of-commission Windsor Park -- a stone’s throw from this venue.
Guyana continued from their bedtime position of 41 without loss and benefited from an opening stand of 73 between Chattergoon and Arjune.
Once Sammy made the breakthrough to have Arjune caught at slip, the procession to and from the pavilion was constant.
The only thing that appeared would deny the Windwards was the rain that stole close to an hour from the morning period. The home team, however, made rapid progress while the sun shone.
After taking lunch at 65 without loss, Arjune lost his wicket, Narsingh Deonarine was caught at mid-off for three off Sammy, Travis Dowlin was bowled by the same bowler for four, Lennox Cush was caught at mid-off off Butler for five, Andre Percival was lbw to Butler for nought, and captain Neil McGarrell was run-out for nought to leave Guyana 109 for six at the tea break.
After the break, Butler got the big wicket of Chattergoon lbw after a near five-hour innings and once Mahendra Nagamootoo, Guyana’s last, last hope was lbw to Sammy for nine, it was only a matter of time.
WINDWARD ISLANDS 1st innings 204
(R. Wilkinson 64; M. Nagamootoo 4-79)
GUYANA 1st innings 192 (T. Dowlin 78; C. Cuffy 3-27)
WINDWARD ISLANDS 2nd innings 242 (D. Sammy 87; R. Griffith 6-44)
GUYANA 2nd innings (target: 255) (o/n 41 without loss)
K. Arjune c Smith b Currency 41
S. Chattergoon lbw b Butler 42
N. Deonarine c Cuffy b Sammy 3
T. Dowlin b Sammy 4
L. Cush c Thomas b Butler 5
A. Percival lbw b Butler 0
N. McGarrell run-out 0
M. Nagamootoo lbw b Sammy 9
V. Nagamootoo c Sammy b Butler 6
E. Crandon lbw b Sammy 0
R. Griffith not out 0
Extras: (lb-4, nb-9) 13
Total: (all out) 123
Fall of wickets: 1-73, 2-83, 3-89, 4-105, 5-106, 6-106, 7-108, 8-123, 9-123.
Bowling: Cuffy 13-2-20-0 (nb-2), Thomas 17-6-33-0 (nb-1), Shillingford 6-3-21-0 (nb-1), Sammy 19-7-20-5 (nb-1), Lewis 3-0-7-0 (nb-1), Jackson 1-0-1-0, Butler 9.2-2-17-4 (nb-3).