Cup 1st round
Crandon's ton fails to halt Windwards' 6-wicket win
Kaieteur News
January 10, 2007
An attractive unfinished 126-run fifth wicket partnership between Liam Sebastian (76*) and skipper Rawle Lewis (54*) spearheaded the Windward Islands to an emphatic six-wicket victory against defending KFC Cup regional one-day champions Guyana at the Tanteen ground when the 2007 competition began yesterday.
Watched by a large working day crowd in gorgeous sunshine, the hosts, hunting their first title at this level since Lewis led them to victory against Jamaica in 2000, cantered to 256-4 off 49 overs after a superb debut century (101) from Roystn Crandon had spurred Guyana -with nine titles to their name- to 254-7 off their allotted 50 overs.
Sebastien, who hit six fours in his 93 ball innings and Lewis whose undefeated knock lasted 47 balls and included two fours and three towering sixes, joined forces with the score on 140-4 in the 32nd over after Daren Sammy was brilliantly caught on the long-on boundary by Azeemul Haniff for 49. With enterprising stroke-play, the pair ensured their team began their 2007 campaign auspiciously in an Island where they won their first regional one-day title by beating Guyana in the 1989 final.
Guyana were invited to bat on a flat track and a fast outfield, Krishna Arjune and Crandon took the score to seven before left-arm pacer Kenroy Peters induced Arjune (3) to edge a catch to wicket-keeper Junior Murray in the fourth over. Travis Dowlin joined Crandon, who was dropped off left-arm spinner Denis George on 18, and the pair carried the visitors to 50 in 17 overs with intelligent batting and positive running between the wickets.
The 100 was posted in the 28th over before Dowlin top edged a sweep off Sebastien to short fine-leg as the 106-run second wicket partnership was broken in the 31st over. Dowlin's 42 lasted 82 balls and included three fours.
Crandon grew in confidence as his innings progressed and aided by faulty catching from the home team was again put down by skipper Rawle Lewis at cover off the unlucky George on 38. The 23-year-old Crandon clobbered left-arm spinner Ronald Etienne for his sixth boundary to reach his fifty from 79 balls and then celebrated with two more straight sixes off Sebastian although the first one went through the hands of Deighton Butler at long-off with Crandon on 75.
The impressive Crandon reached his century from 129 balls with eight boundaries before the Rose Hall Town Courts right-hander was run out with the score on 182 in the 42nd over.
Haniff (7) was then removed by Peters to make way for Mahendra Nagamootoo to join his skipper with the South Americans on 193-4 with seven overs remaining in the innings. Nagamootoo (5) was brilliantly taken by Sammy at point off Peters at 205-5, while in the hunt for quick runs, Eusan Crandon (7), after hitting a massive straight six off Sammy, skied the next ball high to cover to leave the score on 215-6 in the 46th over.
Deonarine clipped Peters for a boundary to square-leg to post his fifty but then lofted Butler to deep mid-wicket in the penultimate over.
Derwin Christian (11*) and Deon Ferrier (8*) carried their team past the 250 mark as Peters finished with 3-56.
Dropped by Arjune at slip off Reon King before he had scored, West Indies left-hander Devon Smith set Tanteen on fire with five exquisite boundaries off King (four of them off consecutive balls) in the fifth over which cost 24 runs.
Andre Fletcher hammered four boundaries in a cameo 21 as the Windwards raced to 50 in just five overs before off-spinner Ferrier was introduced and trapped Fletcher leg before, as Guyana struck with the score on 52 in the 6th over. Ferrier soon removed Hyron Shallow; caught at slip for four (67-2) before Sammy joined the exciting Smith and crashed Ferrier for an audacious cover driven boundary. He was then dropped at cover by Deonarine off the same bowler on 19 as Guyana also caught the ‘drop catching' syndrome.
One short of his 50, Smith was brilliantly caught at deep mid-wicket; pulling at Deonarine after facing 59 balls and reaching the boundary seven times.
The in-form Liam Sebastien with 90 under his belt in the Carib Beer first round game arrived at the crease with the score on 96-3 in the 19th over as the Guyanese spinners pulled down the run rate after King (3-0-30-0) and Crandon (2-0-21-0) had proved expensive.
The fifth wicket partnership blossomed nicely as both batsmen played attractive cricket with Lewis hitting sixes in consecutive overs from Permaul and Ferrier. King returned with 47 needed off 42 balls and Sebastien neatly clipped the former test pacer to the wide long-on boundary to post his third consecutive half-century against Guyana.
Sebastien stroked King (7-0-60-0) for two contemptuous off-side boundaries to the delight of the vociferous fans before Sebastien finished the contest in scintillating fashion, crashing Nagamootoo (9-0-45-0) over mid-on for four to spark wild celebrations on an island hosting its first regional one-day game in over a decade.
Guyana take on Trinidad and Tobago in the twin Island Republic and the Windward Islands face Jamaica in St Lucia in their next engagements in the regional season starting from Friday.