- Junior Dowie
Lucas' Gareth Breese (left) walks off after he was bowled by Conroy Miller during yesterday's Rothmans national cricket championship at Nelson Oval.JAMAICA and West Indies player Ricardo Powell got off to a flying start for his new club Kingston yesterday, blasting 65 from 58 balls against Jamaica Defence Force in their fourth round Rothmans Surrey Senior Cup match at Sabina Park.
Powell, who last season represented Manchester, blasted 11 fours in his aggressive innings, as Kingston batting first made 290. JDF were 36 for one at the close.
Meanwhile, an interesting Surrey Cup battle is looming at Nelson Oval in the feature match between leaders Lucas and defending champions Melbourne coming into today's final day.
At stumps yesterday, Melbourne were fighting back to gain the advantage after letting Lucas off the hook. Scores: Lucas 171 off 56.3 overs; Melbourne, after a disastrous start, were 109 for four off 34 overs when bad light stopped play at 5:38 p.m.
An unbroken fifth wicket stand of 43 between captain Robert Samuels (11) and Donovan Pagon (72) rescued Melbourne from disaster after they had restricted leaders Lucas.
With the score on 66 for four, after Aubrey Wollaston, Chris Chung, Dillon Ebanks and Carlton Baugh went cheaply, Samuels and Pagon came together and batting confidently took the score to some level of respectability with another 61 runs to get for first innings. However, the required runs could prove tough against the spin of Gareth Breese and Omar Burke, who contained Pagon and Samuels since both came together, especially Samuels who crawled to 11 from 59 balls.
Pagon was the aggressor as he stroked the ball sweetly around the field to keep the scoreboard ticking. He blasted four fours off 100 balls.
Earlier, Conroy Miller (3 for 46) and Ramon Hutchinson (3 for 51) destroyed the Lucas batting and only Maurice Clarke (36), Delroy Morgan (33) and Ryan Wellington (23) offered any resistance.
AT SABINA PARK: Three discarded West Indies Test players scored half centuries as Kingston gained the underhand over JDF at the end of the first day.
Scores: Kingston 290 Jamaica Defence Force 36 for one.
JDF won the toss and invited Kingston to take first strike and what looks to be a good batting wicket. They opened with Raymond Ferguson and Nicholas Austin. Ferguson was the first to go caught and bowled for 15 by Layton Brown. Austin follow soon after, another Brown victim for one. Kingston at that stage reeling at 17 for two before slipping to 50 for three.
Former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams and Ricardo Powell on debut for Kingston put together a 130 runs partnership for the fourth wicket. Powell became the second Mark Gray victim, caught by Warren Medwinter for a well played 65. When Adams departed, caught Gray off Ernel Smith for 70 which include four fours off 142 deliveries Kingston were 181 for five.
Nehemiah Perry (53) and Matthew Sinclair (26) put on 50 for the seventh wicket, while Kerry Scott contributed an undefeated 26. Gray took three for 70, Smith three for 70 and Brown two for 43 were the best bowled for JDF.
AT ELLETSON ROAD: A six-wicket haul by Jamaican pacer Denville McKenzie could not prevent St. Thomas from gaining first innings points over Police.
Scores: Police 146 (McKenzie 30, Marvin James 22, Mashell Nelson 20; Clinton Bent 3-35, Brian Murphy 3-39, Rohan McFarlane 2-24) St. Thomas 176 (Murphy 31, McFarlane 30; McKenzie 6-69).
AT CHEDWIN PARK: St. Catherine and Kensington are fighting for first innings points. Kensington 206 (Brenton Parchment 84, Muarice Kepple 35; Jermaine Lawson 4-31, Bevon Brown 2-27) St. Catherine 77 for 3 (Keith Hibbert 36 not out; Darren Powell 2-19).
