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The 'prodigal son' of West Indies' cricket returned to the place where he made his last international appearance to repay his huge army of excited supporters with a century against Barbados yesterday.

Carl Hooper, who shocked the cricket world when he announced his international retirement almost two years ago, triggered wild scenes when he stepped onto the ground just after 11 a.m. By the time he walked off just before 5:45 p.m., he was still at the crease and most of 3 000 spectators had been delighted that their hero had completed his fourth first-class hundred on the ground where he marked his debut 16 years ago with a similar landmark.

At times yesterday, the Guyana captain was at his brilliant best.

There were times, however, when he was troubled and there was high drama when he was in the 90s. Still, a hundred is a hundred and his 50th at the first-class level, seventh on the regional scene and fifth against Barbados has given Guyana a big boost in their effort to overhaul Barbados' 422.

Hooper starts today's final day unbeaten on 117 in the company of Neil Garrell on 19, their unfinished sixth wicket stand lifting Guyana to 327 for five and within 96 runs of securing the lead and six points under the new points system.

He was missed by the diving wicket-keeper Corey Glasgow off Hendy Bryan when he was 59 and twice in the 90s, Ian Bradshaw's variation in pace induced him into lifting drives that eluded Bryan running back from mid-off. There was also a raucous appeal for lbw against the impressive Corey Collymore when he was 99.

"I suppose it wasn't the best hundred I have made at Kensington Oval, but a hundred is a hundred," Hooper acknowledged afterwards.

"In the circumstances, it was a welcomed one for myself and the team." When asked what went wrong in the 90s, he said it was a matter of trying to remain on top of the bowling.

"I wanted to stay positive. If the ball is up in the slot, you want to hit it. The ball was up in the slot and I thought I had it. It was a clean shot over mid-off. Fortunately for me, it just went over the top and I got a single," he said about the second close shave that allowed him to raise his bat to his Bajan faithful.

Hooper also admitted that having not played at a high level for so long had its negative effects. "I felt a bit rusty. It's been 18 months since I have played any sort of first-class cricket," he said.

"At the end of the day, I suppose 12 years of international cricket have served me well today (yesterday). It was one of those days you had to work hard for your runs."

He duly gave Barbados credit for their effort with the ball. "I reckoned the Barbados team bowled well. They were disciplined and I had to do a lot of hard work to get to three-figures."

Hooper has always been a darling among Barbadian spectators and every time he stroked one of his 13 fours or the pulled six off Bryan, there were loud roars from the Kensingston Stand.

"I have always had good support here in Barbados and it was no different," he said.

"I'm glad that at least I had a chance to repay the faith in the lots of fans I have here in Barbados by at least scoring a first-class hundred for them."

The crowd went wild when in one over from left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds, Hooper lifted him over mid-wicket, down the ground and essayed a cut that all resulted in boundaries.

When he was on 21, Collymore also had another vociferous shout for lbw turned down and it was soon after that that he went into high gear. Hooper's dominance was underlined by the fact that during a fifth wicket partnership of 96 with Travis Dowlin, his junior partner's contribution was only 13.

Dowlin, offering no stroke to Collymore, was the third successive lbw victim in the Guyana innings. The first two casualties gave the impression that they felt they were hard done by the umpire's verdict.

Both Keith Semple and Lennox Cush fell to flighted deliveries from Hinds from which both batsmen played across the line. In the case of Cush, he was well down the pitch.

On a day in which Guyana scored 228 for four, Nicholas deGroot was the first dismissal, adding four to his overnight 45 before edging a catch to the keeper off Collymore.

© The Barbados Nation