Kenya's leading batsman Kennedy Obuya drives sweetly through the covers in his fighting 70 against Guyana in Carib Beer cricket action at Bourda yesterday.
Barring a thunderstorm or a miraculous batting performance from the Kenyan tail-enders, Guyana should today complete an emphatic innings victory in their seventh round Carib Beer regional four-day first-class cricket battle at the test venue Bourda.
The East Africans are tottering on 172 for seven in their second innings, still 133 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat. Guyana, preparing to celebrate their 34th Republic anniversary with Mashramani festivities tomorrow, should qualify to travel to Barbados for their Carib Beer semi-final against unbeaten Barbados, the Carib Beer double-defending champions.
When play on the penultimate day ended in bright sunshine yesterday, Guyana were well on course to join Barbados, Jamaica and the Windwards in the semi-finals. Barbados have beaten Trinidad and Tobago outright to register their seventh consecutive victory in the competition.
A win for the home team today will ensure Guyana's chances of taking this year's title after a poor start in the three 'away' matches.
Yesterday began with Kenya on 104 for five, still 305 runs away from Guyana's 444. They were dismissed one hour and 39 minutes into the day's play for 139, giving the home team a 305-run first innings lead.
Leg spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo continued to enjoy his splendid return to first-class cricket by claiming his second consecutive five -wicket haul as Kenya struggled to add just 35 runs to their overnight score.
Collins Obuya (18) was the only batsmen to reach double figures for Kenya in their first innings yesterday as Nagamootoo grabbed five for 45 from 28.5 overs to take his wicket tally in regional first class cricket, past Ranji Nanan's 254 victims.
Nagamootoo, in his 58th regional first-class game since making his debut in 1995, added two more scalps to his name as Kenya was asked to follow on to end the day 14 wickets short of record holder's Clyde Butts' 270.
Medium pacer Damodar Daesrath (two for 23) and fast bowler Rayon Griffith (two for 34) supported Nagamootoo in Kenya's first innings as the last five batsmen failed to pass single figure scores in good conditions for batting.
By lunch, Kenya, on their first first-class tour, were seven without loss in their second innings much to the delight of another good-sized crowd.
After the break, Brijal Patel who made 59 in the first innings but struggled for 93 balls in his second innings score of five, was brilliantly caught at slip by Ramnaresh Sarwan, cutting at left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell to leave the score on 54 for one.
Kennedy Obuya batted with enterprise and joined the batsmen with 500 runs in this year's competition before he was spectacularly caught by a diving Daesrath at deep square-leg off McGarrell at 91 for two.
Obuya reached his fourth 50 for the season from 68 minutes, 64 balls with ten entertaining boundaries on the fast outfield and dominated a partnership of 54 with Patel for the first wicket and 37 for the second with 19-year-old Rajeb Aga who contributed ten.
Dropped on 52 by Sarwan at slip off McGarrell, Obuya fell when 30 short of his second first-class ton after batting for 119 minutes, facing 116 balls and registering 11 fours.
Skipper Steve Tikolo (5) was removed by Nagamootoo 96 for three on the stroke of tea, while Aga was sent back by McGarrell at 102 for four. The Kenya innings then went into rapid decline despite a fighting unbeaten 44 from left-hander Hitesh Modi.
Modi has so far hit six fours, batted for 124 minutes and faced 115 balls. A lot will depend on him today if Kenya are to prolong their innings past lunch.
With Modi and Collins Obuya (14) staging a mini-recovery in a 41-run fifth-wicket stand, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who again impressed with his captaincy, introduced Sarwan's leg spin. In Sarwan's second over came the breakthrough, when Obuya was taken at mid-off at 143 for five. The 29-year-old Chanderpaul, now staking a strong claim for the position as future West Indies captain, pulled Sarwan out of the attack in the next over and brought back Nagamootoo, who quickly had Francis Otieno LBW for seven at 152 for six.
With the soild Modi and keeper Maurice Ouma (5) looking comfortable against the all-spin attack despite some anxious moments, Chanderpaul reintroduced the pace of Griffith towards the close and was rewarded with success at 171 for seven, when Ouma was trapped LBW by the tall GNIC fast bowler.
McGarrell finished the day with three for 43 and 23 wickets to his name this season. Nagamootoo, who missed two games took two for 37 to moved to 22 wickets this year.
The action starts at 10 am today and an early finish is anticipated as Guyana near their third consecutive outright victory on familiar home soil.