LAMBERT
LUCAS STREET, Barbados, CMC:
CAPTAIN Tamar Lambert rescued championship front-runners Jamaica with a solid half-century on the opening day of their third round Carib Beer Cup match against title holders Barbados yesterday.
Lambert's top-score of 79 in just under four-and-a-half hours with four boundaries and a six, helped his side to 193 all out in 78.2 overs after they were struggling on 70 for five.
Fast bowler Jason Bennett took four for 36 and medium-pacer Dwayne Smith, who broke the back of the early batting, picked up four for 45, his best first-class figures.
Barbados were 23 for one off 5.2 overs when bad light ended play at 5.18 p.m. with 3.4 overs left.
They lost Dale Richards (seven), who edged fast bowler Darren Powell to wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh.
Martin Nurse was unbeaten on 19, including two fours and a six, which was hooked over square-leg off the very first ball of the innings from Powell.
With him, was night-watchman Ryan Austin, who is yet to score.
The 23-year-old Lambert played splendidly after he was dropped on 14 by wicket-keeper Patrick Browne off Smith with the score 61 for four in the 28th over.
FURTHER FRUSTRATED
With left-hander Lorenzo Ingram, who made 34, Lambert added 71 in 28.2 overs for the sixth wicket in a shade under two hours.
Barbados were then further frustrated by Lambert and Powell in a stand of 32 before Bennett took two wickets in successive balls and Smith wrapped up the innings.
Barbados had early success as Jamaica's opening woes continued after they were put in on a firm pitch at the Windward Club ground, Lucas Street in this south eastern parish.
Keith Hibbert, playing his first match of the season for the dropped Shawn Findlay as the only change to the side, fell in the day's second over. He was bowled for two by Jason Bennett, who was operating from the northern end.
Then in the seventh over and Corey Collymore's fourth, Donovan Pagon missed a drive and was also bowled for two.
The usually stubborn Maurice Kepple batted in typical style as diminutive wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh Jnr., promoted to No. 4 for the second consecutive innings, was prepared to attack. In fact, Baugh registered the first boundary of the match, driving Collymore through extra-cover after 36 minutes play.
Smith removed Kepple (eight) in his third over after replacing Bennett. The second ball lifted sharply and Kepple could only fend it high towards gully where Kurt Wilkinson ran back from third slip to take a splendid catch about an inch from the turf as he stretched past fourth slip fielder Nurse.
EDGED TO SLIP
Baugh continued to play his strokes even in the face of a deliberately set off-side field to cut out his upper cuts and drives. He scored 34 in 81 minutes before edging his 75th ball to second slip off Smith to leave Jamaica on 60 for four.
Smith should have also removed Lambert on 14 but Browne, diving in front of first slip, put down what should have been a regulation catch.
At lunch the score was 66 for four with Lambert on 18 and David Bernard one.
Soon after the break, Smith struck again as Bernard edged a wide delivery to second slip.
That was to be the last Barbados success for some time as Lambert, with a broad bat mixed with a few attacking strokes, found a solid partner in Ingram.
They forced Sherwin Campbell into making a few bowling changes including occasional medium-pacer Nurse. By tea the pair had taken the score to 125 for five off 56 overs with Lambert on 45 and Ingram 28. At that stage, Smith had sent down 16 consecutive overs, broken only by lunch, with three wickets for 37 runs.
Lambert duly reached his half-century in 184 minutes off 123 balls with four boundaries.
Ingram also played some positive strokes including his third boundary a drive over long-off off off-spinner Austin that took him to 32. But Austin had the last laugh in his next over when Ingram drove powerfully
into the hands of Nurse at mid-off.
He faced 85 balls and struck three boundaries.
