Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

Jermaine Lawson (right) reaches to collect the Carib Beer 'Man of the Match' award from Paul Campbell, first vice-president of the Jamaica Cricket Association, after taking seven Guyanese wickets in their second innings at Kensington Oval. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

JAMAICA TICKED off their first victory in the regional Carib Beer cricket series when they defeated Guyana by a comfortable seven wickets at Kensington Park yesterday.

Set a target of 63 runs after picking up Guyana's last two wickets for 15 runs in 6.5 overs, Jamaica chipped to victory 15 minutes before lunch when captain Wavell Hinds went back and swung a short delivery from 17-year-old left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul to the backward square-leg boundary.

Final scores: Guyana 205 and 232, Jamaica 375 and 64 for three with Hinds not out on 18 and Tamar Lambert on 13.

After losing first innings points to the Leeward Islands in a drawn match and leading the Windward Islands on first innings in another drawn encounter, yesterday's victory handed Jamaica their first win of the season and left them on 21 points with two matches to go.

When play resumed, in bright sunshine and 30 minutes early to facilitate the completion of the overs remaining from the third day's play, Guyana, on 217 for eight in their second innings, led Jamaica by 47 runs with two wickets in hand and, based on the home team's performance highlighted by the brilliance of fast bowler Jermaine Lawson on the previous day, the end appeared just an hour or so away.

And but for Lorenzo Ingram at third slip and Hinds at mid-on, it may well have ended earlier.

Drop catch

In the first over of the morning, before a run had been added to the overnight score, Ingram failed to catch Permaul when the batsman, on four, edged fast bowler Andrew Richardson and, in the following over - again before a run had been added, Hinds, diving forward at mid-on, failed to catch Darwin Christian when the batsman, on 32, eased on to the front foot and attempted to drive the fast bowler.

In one over, however, 36 minutes after the start of the day's play, the Guyana second innings was over.

Bowling from the south, Richardson removed Permaul - caught for six at 231 for nine by Danza Hyatt at mid-on, and two deliveries later, with the batsman on 37 after adding five to his overnight score, Richardson ripped out Christian's middle stump to end the innings.

Richardson, wicket-less on day three, picked up two wickets for four runs off 3.5 overs to finish the innings with two for 46 off 13.5 overs, while Lawson, an impressive seven for 76 off 17 on the previous day, failed to get one, while conceding nine runs in three overs.

Before celebrating their second victory over Guyana in the second match between the two teams at Kensington Park, Jamaica were made to fight for almost every run and were stuttering at nine for two before Hinds joined Ingram and the pair of left-handers steadied the home team and stroked them towards victory.

Bowling from the north, the same end from which he captured five wickets for 64 runs off 22 overs, pacer Esaun Crandon, bowling straight, pitching the ball on a good length and finishing with all three wickets, made it eight for one when he bowled Brenton Parchment off the inside edge for five, and then nine for two when he took care of Danza Hyatt for three - the batsman playing defensively forward and edging into the slips where, after a juggling display, substitute Assad Fuddadin held on to the ball.

With both batsmen playing solidly and reeling off some attractive drives, however, with Ingram pushing his right-foot forward and driving Crandon to the wide long-on boundary, Hinds slipping his right-foot forward and driving pacer Reon King to the cover boundary, and with Ingram easing his right-foot forward and stroking Crandon straight for six, Jamaica stopped the hiccups and were well on the way before Ingram slit his own throat.

Two deliveries after a lovely drive off Crandon, with Jamaica only 23 runs away from their target and Mahendra Nagamootoo way out on the square-leg boundary, the Jamaica number three fell into a trap when Crandon bowled him a short delivery and he hooked it straight into the veteran Guyanese hands to make it 40 for three in the ninth over.

That, however, was Guyana's last success as Lambert, the star of Jamaica's first innings with a delightful innings of 110, joined Hinds and together, despite the ball bouncing unpredictably, in spite of the combined pressure of Crandon's accuracy and Nagamootoo's leg-spin, and despite a few edges here and there, they saw Jamaica home with a Hinds' swing to the backward square-leg boundary finishing the hunt in style .

Guyana first innings 205

Jamaica first innings 375

Guyana second innings

(Resumed at 217 for eight)

D. Christian b Richardson