The seven-wicket victory was achieved courtesy of a first-day rout from Jaguars spinner Veerasammy Permaul, whose 7-59, left the hosts 216 all out, with just Jermaine Blackwood, 59, really putting up any resistance.
In reply, the Jaguars depended on half centuries from Chanderpaul Hemraj (82) and Vishaul Singh (93) to get to 304 and a healthy lead of 88. That lead was too much for the Scorpions who buckled under the pressure, collapsing for 111, a lead of just 24.
Permaul was back at it again in the second innings, bagging eight wickets this time. Those eight wickets cost just 18 runs to end with figures of 15-77. The other two wickets went to Kevin Sinclair, who ended with 2-26.
For the Scorpions, the only batsman into double figures, John Campbell, scored all of 66 runs as his side meekly gave up the ghost.
Sinclair, nine, Leon Johnson, two, and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, two, all lost their wickets in chase of the minuscule total, with Singh on five and Christopher Barnwell on four, the not out batsmen.
With Singh on 40 and Keemo Paul on 20, the Eagles navigated early trouble to end the day on 181 – 5, still trailing by 155 runs. In pursuit of the target, the Guyana franchise was pegged back early when
Chanderpaul Hemraj was dismissed for 5, in just the fourth over, with 10 runs on the board. Tagenarine Chanderpaul then partnered with Shimron Hetmyer to stage a decent recovery taking the score to 58 without further loss, before Hetmyer (24) was caught by Ryan John off the bowling of Sherman Lewis.
Only another 15 went on the board before Chanderpaul (30) found himself striding back to the pavilion after being caught by Alrick Athanaze, again off Lewis.
Leon Johnson and Singh then combined to put a partnership worth 32 on the board to take the score to 95 for 4, for the fourth wicket. Their time together at the crease came to an end when Johnson was bowled by Preston McSween. Anthony Bramble added a useful 26 but was trapped lbw by Lewis, with the score at 141 for 5.
Lewis was the pick of the Volcanoes bowlers after claiming 3 for 47, McSween grabbed 2 for 44.
Earlier in the day, it was the same duo that racked up a record 10th wicket stand of 124, much to the frustration of Guyana. McSween was eventually caught on 86 by Anthony Bramble off the bowling of Gudakesh Moti.
Opener Montcin Hodge, not out on 21, and left-hander Amir Jangoo, not out on 22, batted through a little more than an hour to keep the Jaguars attack at bay as the Leewards were 73 for 2 at stumps.
Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, the season’s leading bowler, made the breakthrough for the hosts when he bowled Test batsman Kieran Powell for 13 and off-spinner Kevin Sinclair trapped Ross Powell for six.
Hurricanes were 40 for two, but Hodge and Jangoo, the visitors’ draft choice from T&T, shared 33 – unbroken for the third wicket to deny the Jaguars from making further inroads into the batting.
Earlier, Singh fell for exactly 90 – the second time this season he has been dismissed with a hundred within reach – after the Jaguars resumed from their overnight 115 for four.
Fellow left-hander Raymon Reifer supported with 43 and put on 93 for the fifth wicket with Singh; Permaul was not out on 24 and Anthony Bramble added 23 to extend the Jaguars first innings.
Jeremiah Louis cleaned up all three and Sinclair to end with 4-49 from 24 overs and fellow pacer Kian Pemberton grabbed 2-54 from 18.5 overs to bring the innings to a close at 259.
At the close of play, the Windwards batting a second time were 157 for 7 with Larry Edward (29) and Kenneth Dember (9) the batsmen at the crease. Asked to bat again, the Windwards found the going hard early on as the typically dependable Devon Smith was dismissed for a duck in the first over, bowled by Nial Smith. They lost Teddy Bishop (15), the team’s other opener, soon after, to leave the score at 20 for 2.
Alrick Athanaze maintained his good form for the match after first hunkering down at the crease with Kavem Hodge to briefly stop the rot. Hodge was, however, uprooted when he was dismissed lbw off the bowling of Keemo Paul for 15. Keron Cottoy added 12 before being dismissed by Clinton Pestano and Denis Smith added just four runs before departing two overs later with the score at 77 for 5, after also falling victim to Pestano.
Veerasammy Permaul delivered the crucial wicket of Athanaze, who made 58, in the 29th over with the team struggling at 125 for 7. Paul, Permaul, and Pestano have so far taken two wickets each with Smith claiming one.
Earlier, resuming the day at 181 – 5, still trailing the Winwards first innings tally of 339 by 155 runs, Singh held the Harpy Eagles innings together along with Paul as the pair put on a solid 146 for the 6th wicket to change the complexion of the match. Paul was eventually dismissed, after putting 77 on the board, when he was trapped lbw by Kenneth Dember. Singh departed two overs later, just seven runs short of a century when he was stumped by Smith off Dember. With the score then at 290 for 7, the team added another 37 runs to move to within 12 of the total.
