GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (CMC) - West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan narrowly missed a double century by one run as Guyana continued to dominate their four-day encounter with Kenya in the final preliminary round of the Carib Beer 2004 Series at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground, Bourda.
After being surprisingly bowled out for 444, Guyana contained the Kenyans to 104 for five at the end of day two as they hunt full points in an effort to secure a semifinal place, though they are dependent on other results as well.
From a solid overnight position of 319 for three, with Sarwan unbeaten on a career best 151, and captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 63, Guyana's next seven wickets fell for the addition of only 125 runs.
Though losing Chanderpaul for 75 with six fours, Guyana started the day lustily, getting 63 runs in the first hour.
Then as Sarwan began to approach the 200 mark things slowed to a grind.
The second hour after the start of play produced only 16 runs as Sarwan staggered through the 190s and laboured for 12 deliveries and twenty minutes on 199, then with the 13th he was heartbreakingly undone.
He nervously attempted to drive through the covers but picked out Collins Obuya at cover point, to miss out on what would have been his first double century at the first class level.
It was in complete contrast to the manner in which he approached his innings earlier in the morning, pounding anything loose and even a few decent deliveries as well.
His innings spanned just over eight hours and lasted for 345 deliveries, 22 of which he sent speeding away to the fences and two went sailing over.
Guyana went to lunch at 399 for six, then just over an hour after the interval the innings was wrapped up by the resurgent Kenyans led by Ragheb Aga who grabbed four for 71 from 28 overs of steady persistence, to be the leader of their attack.
The Kenyans, though bowling 33 no balls in a total of 49 extras, stifled the Guyanese after Sarwan pounded seven fours in the morning, none more delectable than a straight drive off a well-pitched delivery on the off stump from Aga which crashed into the boundary board after whistling past the stunned bowler.
Guyana's much-touted tail-enders were choked off with some very fine restrictive bowling from Aga in particular, to fall six under the 450 target which they seemed intent on achieving.
When the Africans batted, Guyana snatched two early wickets, both compliments of Damodar Daesrath (2-19) who trapped Kennedy Otieno lbw for three, then produced an outstanding off-cutter to breach Aga's defence and scattered his stumps.
He went for one to leave the score on 15 for two at tea.
After the interval Brigesh Patel, the right-handed opener, along with captain Steve Tikolo, played with controlled aggression in rescuing the innings with a partnership of 67.
Patel drove five immaculately timed fours through the cover region, in collecting a total of nine boundaries, before he was the final wicket to fall for Kenya in the day, taken by Sarwan at slip off leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo to give him his 251st wicket in regional first class cricket.
Tikolo went softly with the score on 82, trying to slap Nagamootoo through covers but only succeeded in lobbing the ball to Neil McGarrell at point.
That soft dismissal was outdone by Hitest Modi with the very next delivery though. He gently played back a slow full toss for a return catch to Nagamootoo, much to the delight of the Guyanese players and spectators, who numbered over 1 500.
Nagamootoo finished the day with three for 30.
Collins Obuya (9) and Francis Otieno (3) ensured no further alarms in the afternoon but the Kenyans will return today with a monumental task to surpass the follow-on target of 295 and avoid back-to-back defeats after going down to the Windward Islands in their last encounter.
GUYANA 1st innings (o/n 319 for 3)
S.Chattergoon c Ongondo b Aga 60
N.Deonarine c wkp. Ouma b Suji 0
R.Sarwan c Obuya b Aga 199
T.Dowlin lbw Tikolo 8
S.Chanderpaul lbw Ongondo 75
D.Daesrath c & b Aga 6
M.Nagamootoo c Onyango b Tikolo 9
N.McGarrell b Aga 9
V.Nagamootoo run-out 11
Z Mohamed not out 9
R Griffith b Suji 9
Extras: (b-8, lb-6, w-2, nb-33) 49
Total: (for 3 wickets - 131.2 overs) 444
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-157, 3-176, 4-334, 5-383, 6-396, 7-400, 8-412, 9-425.