Majestic Hooper Slams Superb 222

The sun failed to shine in all its glory at Albion yesterday but Guyana and West Indies batsman Carl Hooper enlivened the day?s proceedings with a magnificent innings of surpassing brilliance against the Leeward Islands in the Busta International Shield semifinal, much to the delight of a disappointing Saturday crowd.

The enigmatic Hooper, who resumed on 52 with Guyana on 230 for four, slammed a career regional best 222 as Guyana reached 491 all out in the last over of the second day?s play.

Hooper, who took over the captaincy of the Guyana team on his return from Sharjah and whose highest score in this year?s tournament was 44 against Trinidad and Tobago at the same venue, treated the Leewards attack with disdain as he completely dominated the Guyana innings, scoring 170 of the 261 runs the hosts made in the day?s play.

Hooper, who returned to regional cricket with the top aggregate of 954 runs in last year?s tournament, lost his overnight partner, opener Sewnarine Chattergoon 25 minutes after play began with the 20-year-old failing to register his first first-class ton.

Resuming on 93, the slim left-hander was undone by a fine delivery from Adam Sanford in the sixth over of the day, edging a catch to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs and departing for a solid 95.

Chattergoon?s dismissal brought an end to the 94-run fifth-wicket partnership in 144 minutes after the Leewards had threatened to take the upper hand on the opening day when Ramnaresh Sarwan went via run-out with the score on 143 for four. His determined knock included nine fours and a five, spanning 397 minutes off 313 balls.

The Leewards must have breathed some sigh of relief, after taking the second new ball at the start of the day?s play. But the relief was soon to turn sour as Hooper, who was joined by the consistent Neil McGarrell, got into his strides by square-driving fast bowler Kerry Jeremy for two majestic fours and hoisting Sanford over long-off for a big six, while McGarrell also joined the action, racing to 16 with boundaries, the extra cover drive being his speciality.

The Guyanese skipper was soon into the nineties after flicking Jeremy for another boundary and caressing Sanford effortlessly through extra cover. His 11th regional first class century and his 56th to date came by way of his 14th four, a flick off fast medium bowler Wilden Cornwall to fine leg. It had occupied 198 minutes and came off 148 balls.

By lunch, Hooper had advanced to 122 and McGarrell, who was dropped by Ian Tittle at silly point off off-spinner Alex Adams when on 27, on 30. It meant that Guyana had added 106 in the pre-lunch session for the loss of Chattergoon?s wicket after being 336 for five, with Hooper adding 70 to his overnight 52.

Guyana lost their sixth wicket in the second over after lunch when McGarrell (32) failed to beat Tittle?s throw to the non-striker?s end from short mid-wicket after being sent back by Hooper. His supporting knock in the 102 sixth-wicket partnership in 97 minutes, contained five fours off 62 balls.

Unmindful of McGarrell?s dismissal, Hooper continued merrily along, straight-driving Cornwall for four, causing umpire Terrence Birbal to jump for cover and blasting medium pacer Cornwall out of the ground for his second six.

He lost wicketkeeper Azib Ali Hanif (eight) with the score on 358 after the diminutive batsman got an inside edge from a faster delivery from Adams and could not prevent it from rolling unto his stumps.

The Leewards? spirit was again high but they were made to toil again as Hooper found another ally in leg-spinning all-rounder Mahendra Nagamootoo. Hooper got to 150 by pulling Sanford through square-leg and by then had struck 18 fours and two sixes in 292 minutes off 235 balls.

Nagamootoo, in the meantime, was content to play second fiddle, taking 44 minutes to come off the mark with his 30th delivery while Hooper surpassed his previous best regional score of 159, made against Barbados at the Kensington Oval last year.

At tea, Hooper was undefeated on 183 and Nagamootoo not out six with Guyana 416 for seven. The pair had already added 58 with 80 coming in the session.

Hooper reached his first regional first class double and the third in his career with a single off off-spinner Omari Banks, the landmark spanning 394 minutes and including 21 fours and two sixes off 333 balls.

He joined Basil Butcher (203), Roy Fredericks (217 and 250), Roger Harper (202), Clayton Lambert (263), Timur Mohamed (200), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (303) and Azeemul Haniff (235) as the other Guyanese batsmen to register 200 or more in Shield/Cup cricket.

The 100-partnership with Nagamootoo, which obviously took the fight out of the Leewards, came off 234 balls in 140 minutes.

The partnership finally ended when Nagamootoo (27), edged an intended off-drive to wicketkeeper Jacobs off the persevering Sanford. His innings included three fours in 178 minutes while the 116-run eighth wicket partnership occupied 296 balls.

Two runs later, Hooper failed to clear the tall Banks at long-off, ending his superlative knock which spanned 462 minutes and included 21 fours and two sixes off 382 balls.

Fast bowlers Reon King, with a six over mid-wicket off Adams and Kevin Darlington with a lofted four through mid-off off Sanford, brought the spectators alive before Sanford ended the Guyana innings by trapping the latter lbw.

Sanford, who took his tally of wickets in the tournament to 41, finished with four for 136 in 42.2 overs while Adams claimed two for 53 off 34.

The Leewards, who will start their first innings when play resumes today, face an Herculean task of overhauling the Guyana total for a possible place in the final.

* SOURCE: Guyana Chronicle.