- JUNIOR DOWIE/Staff Photographer
Tamar Lambert on the go for Jamaica on the first day of their Carib Beer match against the Leewards at Kaiser yesterday.
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
DISCOVERY BAY:
THE CARIB Beer Series cricket match between Jamaica and the Leeward Islands at the Kaiser Sports Club is far from over. There are three days to go, the nature of the pitch promises a low-scoring affair and anything can happen.
At stumps on yesterday's first day, however, Jamaica, routed for 188 on the stroke of stumps, were in trouble - so much trouble that when they left the picturesque ground they must have been praying that the pitch will not improve and that their bowlers, like those of the Leeward Islands, will preen themselves on it and come to the rescue.
Batting first in overcast conditions after winning the toss, Jamaica were cornered by fast bowlers Adam Sanford, Kerry Jeremy and Carl Simon and offspinner Omari Banks on a nasty pitch and but for a lucky escape when Sanford dropped a simple return catch off Donovan Pagon at 36 for three, the innings may well have been history long before the end of the day's play.
UNCOMFORTABLE BOUNCE
On a pitch that saw the ball moving prodigiously off the seam, at times bouncing uncomfortably high, and at other times keeping unusually low, Jamaica lost three quick wickets - including two off consecutive deliveries, before Pagon, batting at No. 3, and captain Tamar Lambert, batting at No. 5, rescued them with a defiant fourth-wicket partnership of 85 off 42 overs.
With the batsmen playing and missing or edging the ball short of slips, with appeals for leg before wicket and shouts of "catch it" ringing around the ground, Jamaica lost their first wicket at five in the fifth over when Maurice Kepple, playing forward and across the line, fell leg before wicket to Jeremy for one, and with Shawn Findlay and Pagon surviving a number of edges and then reeling off a few good drives, they lost two wickets at 33.
Immediately after digging out a creeper, the left-handed Findlay attempted to ondrive a yorker from Sanford and was bowled 14; and one delivery later, Ingram, pushing forward tentatively to Sanford, nicked a catch to veteran wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.
At that stage Jamaica were in dire straits and but for a stroke of good fortune when Pagon, on 12, played forward to a delivery that kicked off a good length and Sanford, to the amazement of everyone on the ground, dropped the catch, it could have been worse.
PAGON BATTLED ON
Thanking his lucky stars, Pagon battled on, and with Lambert also settling down after surviving a close call for leg before wicket and a few edges that fortunately dropped short of slips, Jamaica, fighting like tigers, went to lunch at 57 for three.
Unlike the overcast conditions in the morning, it was bright and sunny after the interval and with Pagon growing in confidence and reeling off a few lovely drives - including one off Sanford that raced away to the wide long-off boundary, and with Lambert driving and cutting nicely, Jamaica threatened to take control until Banks struck on either side of tea.
After batting for 203 minutes, facing 150 deliveries and stroking three boundaries, Pagon, going back and across to a delivery that spun and bounced appreciably, was caught by Shane Jeffers at short leg for 44 at 118 for four, and 13 runs later, Lambert, going forward defensively after batting for 193 minutes, facing 167 deliveries and stroking one boundary, was caught by Jeffers for 38 at 131 for five.
COMFORTABLE CATCH
With Carlton Baugh swinging at Banks, presenting Stuart Williams with a comfortable catch at cover and going for six at 146 for six, the only other batsman to offer any resistance was David Bernard who, batting at number six, scored 26 before he went inside, attempted to flick Jeremy through the onside, missed, and was leg before wicket at 166 for seven in the 87th over.
The Jamaica innings ended when a Simon delivery pitched short and never rose as much as an inch as it cannoned into Jerome Taylor's pad.
Like so many during the day, and with fast bowlers Powell and Taylor, medium-pacer Bernard and spinners Odean Brown and Nikita Miller in their line-up, it was a delivery that must have left Jamaica looking forward to today's action.
In Barbados, umpires Vincent Bullen and Vivian Johnson called off play because of rain on the opening day of the first-round match between title-holders Barbados and the Windward Islands at the 3Ws Oval yesterday.
Overnight rain left the ground sodden and intermittent showers continued throughout the day to prevent any chance of play.
At Ouva, Trinidad, persistent rain left the outfield water-logged and forced play to be abandoned on the opening day of the first-round match between Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana at the National Cricket Centre.
Scoreboard
Jamaica first innings
S. Findlay b Sanford 14
M. Kepple lbw Jeremy 5
D. Pagon c Jeffries b Banks 44
L. Ingram c Jacobs b Sanford 0
T. Lambert c Jeffries b Banks 38
D. Bernard lbw Jeremy 26
C. Baugh c Williams b Banks 6
D. Powell c Morton b Simon 3
O. Brown c Cornwall b Jeremy 7
N. Miller not out 8
J. Taylor lbw Simon 6
Extras: 31
TOTAL (all out - 90 overs) 188
FAll: 1-5, 2-33, 3-33, 4-118, 5-131, 6-146, 7-166, 8-171, 9-177, 10-188.
Bowling: Jeremy 16-3-41-3; Sanford 19-6-38-2; Simon 15.2-5-24-2; Cornwall 9-3-17-0; Banks 29-7-51-3.
