PROVIDENCE – Barbados Pride gave an inept second innings batting display, resulting in a humiliating 10-wicket loss to defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles with a day to spare in their opening match of this year’s West Indies Four-Day Championship at the Guyana National Stadium.
Faced with a deficit of 36 runs after the Harpy Eagles made 382-9 (innings closed) in reply to their first innings total of 346 with debutant seamer Matthew Forde taking five for 69 in 19.5 overs, Barbados Pride dramatically collapsed from 94 for four to a paltry 112 all out, losing their last six second innings wickets for just 18 runs.
Harpy Eagles’ right-handed middleorder batsman Kevlon Anderson was last out for 101, which contained 15 fours off 157 balls as pacer Isai Thorne was unable to bat.
Needing a mere 77 runs for victory, Guyana Harpy Eagles’ openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul (40 not out) and Matthew Nandu (33 not out) formalised the result, reaching 78 without loss in 28 overs.
Debutant off-spinner Richie Looknauth triggered the Pride’s collapse with the excellent career-best figures of five for 23 in 11.4 overs to follow his 4-69 in the first innings and end with a nine-wicket match haul.
He was well supported by fast bowler Ronaldo Alimohamed (2-36), who took the key wickets of opener Zachary McCaskie for one, and middle-order batsman Jonathan Drakes 926). His new-ball partner, Nial Smith, also bowled opener Leniko Boucher for five to leave Barbados in early trouble at 49-3.
Barbados Pride captain Raymon Reifer and Kevin Wickham then featured in a fourth-wicket stand of 45 runs but once Looknauth removed Wickham for 22, there was no resistance from the middle and lower order.
Experienced left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul chipped in by trapping Reifer leg before wicket
for the top score of 37 off 89 balls and thereafter Looknauth sent back wicketkeeper Demetrius Richards (2), Forde (0), Chemar Holder (4) and Jair McAllister (6).
Earlier, Forde completed a fivewicket haul in his maiden first-class match as Guyana Harpy Eagles, resuming from 315-3 overnight, added a further 67 while losing six wickets.
Captain Kemol Savory unfortunately, fell for 99, one short of a century when he was caught behind by Richards off Forde, who then bowled Looknauth for a first-ball duck.
Alimohamed then lashed five sixes in a breezy 35 off 32 balls before he was bowled by McAllister (2-68). Forde and Richards then combined to remove Permaul, Anthony Adams and Anderson.
There was also a three-day victory for Leeward Islands Hurricanes, who triumphed by a whopping 402 runs over the inexperienced West Indies Academy at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
After declaring at 289 for nine in their second innings, setting a victory target of 503 runs, the Hurricanes blew away the Academy outfit for a meagre 100 in 34.5 overs.
Colin Archibald (61), Jewel Andrew (57) and Shelton Forbes (53) made second innings half-centuries for the Hurricanes while Barbadian left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop took three for 89 to complete a ten-wicket match haul. (EZS)
