Crandon hails Jaguars victory over Scorpions
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Guyana Jaguars head coach Esuan Crandon said his side’s sixth-round victory over Jamaica Scorpions is a huge boost to their push for a third straight Regional Four-Day title.
The Jaguars, the defending Regional Four-Day champions, completed a sevenwicket victory Monday to again take the lead in the six-franchise tournament from the Scorpions, the previous tournament front-runners.
The Jags moved to 84.8 points with the Scorpions second on 73, just five clear of traditionally-strong Barbados, another sixth-round winner.
“This is definitely a huge win for us,” said Crandon. “It was a total team effort. I thought we were a little bit rusty on the first day but we knew what our bowlers were capable of doing.
“We were a little hampered at home in terms of preparation, so these guys had to come out and be professional and showcase their skills.”
Crandon added: “All in all, I am happy with the victory. I guess there are some areas that we need to work on as we go on, so we just have to try and put in the work and take it one game at a time.
“We recognise the importance of us winning this game and taking the lead away from home. Our aim is to win the next two games, and if we don’t win, then we have to try and get as much points from those two games. So this is a huge boost for us going into the next two games.”
Jaguars will continue their road show when they travel to Port-of-Spain to face Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, the other sixth-round winner, at Queen’s Park Oval before travelling half-hour northward to Bridgetown, where they will renew the oldest rival in the regional game against the Pride at Kensington Oval.
At the same time, Scorpions captain Nikita Miller said it was a major disappointment for his side to lose on home soil and for a second time in the tournament to the Jaguars, following a 181-run defeat in the first round last November.
“I feel like we had a good opportunity to win this game, but the difference I believe was that their fast bowlers did a lot better than ours and that made the difference,” said Miller.
“If our pace bowlers had been a little bit more consistent maybe we would have got some more wickets from them on (Sunday).
“Every game from here on is like a final, so we have to double our efforts. I think that we have to close out games when we get that opportunity because it was a second innings game.
“Our decision-making in both innings was not up to the standard that I or the coaching staff expected and going forward we have to look at that and make sure that we score runs. If we are going to win games, we have to score runs because that is what sets up games,” he said.
The Scorpions host the flagging Leeward Islands Hurricanes from Friday at Sabina Park, Kingston in the seventh round, which also features the Pride welcoming the Windward Islands Volcanoes to Kensington Oval.