BRIDGETOWN, CMC:
FLOYD REIFER and Ryan Hinds helped themselves to batting practice while improving their first-class statistics but both fell agonisingly short of centuries as the third round Carib Beer 2003 Series match against Jamaica was drawn yesterday with first innings points going to the home team which kept them at the top of the standings.
Taking advantage of an easy-paced pitch at the Mount Gay North Stars, Crab Hill ground, Reifer and Hinds featured in a fourth wicket partnership of 178 as Barbados closed on 262 for six in their second innings when play was called off at 4.23 p.m. with 14.3 overs to be bowled.
Reifer followed up his century in the second round match against India "A" with scores of 61 and 95, while Hinds, in his first match of the season, made 88.
There were eight fours and five sixes for Reifer who batted for 167 minutes and faced 144 balls, while Hinds was at the crease for 217 minutes, 178 balls and struck seven fours. Reifer was fourth out, leg before wicket on the back-foot to off-spinner Gareth Breese and Hinds soon edged a cut off another off-spinner Nehemiah Perry, to wicket-keeper Keith Hibbert.
Barbados captain Courtney Browne was named man-of-the-match for his face-saving, unbeaten 103 in a first innings total of 325 all out.
Earlier, Jamaica were bowled out for 272 from an overnight 224 for nine to concede first innings lead by 53 runs. The last wicket pair of Darren Powell and Ryan Cunningham propped up the Jamaica batting, playing with straight bats, in a fighting partnership of 48. It did cause Barbados a couple worries, especially with their two fastbowlers Tino Best and Ian Bradshaw both unable to bowl for contrasting reasons.
Best was taken out of the attack for the rest of the innings in the post-tea session on Sunday after sending down two waist-high deliveries in successive overs, while left-armer Bradshaw did not take the field on the last day because of a bruise on the right foot, sustained while tumbling into the boundary chasing a ball on Sunday.
Powell clobbered two sixes, the first over midwicket off left-arm spinner Hinds and the other to long-on off off-spinner Ryan Hurley as he helped himself to 24 before edging a drive off medium-pacer Dwayne Smith to wicket-keeper Browne, leaving Cunningham unbeaten on 20.
Philo Wallace launched the Barbados second innings in blazing style with 18 runs in the first over from Franklyn Rose, including three fours and a towering six over wide long-on.
He and Sherwin Campbell put on 47 for the first wicket in 6.2 overs before Campbell was caught at the wicket off Perry for 11. Wallace's threatening onslaught ended when the score was 36 when he was caught at cover off pacer Powell, while Kurt Wilkinson was bowled behind his legs for 12 by left-arm spinner Cunningham.
