Tym Glaser, Associate Editor Sport
Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer - Jamaica's opening batsman Donovan Pagon goes down on his knee while playing an off-drive during action on the first day of their Carib Beer Series match against Trinidad and Tobago at Alpart yesterday.
ST. ELIZABETH: OPENER DONOVAN Pagon will resume his innings 12 short of his first century for Jamaica today after honours were evenly shared on the opening day of the hosts' fifth round Carib Beer Series match against Trinidad and Tobago at Alpart yesterday.
At stumps on a day in which Jamaica looked poised to take a stranglehold on the match several times after being sent in by Trinidad skipper, Daren Ganga, they never quite were able to dominate, the hosts wound up at 293 for eight.
Jamaica could not have got off to a worse start at the picturesque ground under bright sunshine and before an enthusiastic crowd which grew throughout the day.
EDGED TO SLIP
After only two balls, opener Brenton Parchment, who made his first first-class century against Guyana in the team's most recent clash last week, was on his way back to the pavilion for a duck after lining up an ambitious drive off paceman Richard Kelly and edging the ball straight to third slip.
Pagon and newcomer Danza Hyatt quickly repaired the damage, particularly the latter who played some superb drives and brought up his maiden half century for the island just before the lunch break with a straight drive through mid-off off spinner Dave Mohammed.
However, with just an over to negotiate before lunch, Hyatt, in only his second game in the senior team, popped a tame Sherwin Ganga delivery straight to Shazam Babwah at short leg and perished with the score at 88 for two and his total on 52, which included eight fours off 84 balls.
Upon resumption, Pagon and skipper Tamar Lambert decided to turn up the heat on the visiting bowlers with some lusty hitting highlighted by a Lambert six to long on and then an exquisite cut for four through backward point in the same over off Sherwin Ganga.
BEATEN FOR PACE
Again, just when it looked like Jamaica were about to take a grip on the match another wicket fell. This time, Lambert seemed to be beaten for pace by Kyroa Lynch and bottomed edged the ball straight on to his middle stump, reducing the team to 142 for three and ending yet another promising innings this season on 29 (three fours and a six).
SUCCUMBED TO CRAMPS
Keith Hibbert, looking somewhat out of touch, fell caught behind off spinner Rayad Emrit 40 runs later for 15 - again in the final over before a break, this time tea, and straight after the resumption, Pagon succumbed to cramps and was carted from the field with no addition to his (79) or the team's (182) score.
In the final session, David Bernard (23, to make it 212-5) and Daren Powell (six, 225-6) fell leg before to Kelly and Sherwin Ganga respectively to further peg back the home team's progress.
However, diminutive 'keeper Carlton Baugh, a dangerous player if you can't get him early, continued on his form from the Guyana match in which he also made a century, to compile a superb 53 which included an array of shots around the ground until he finally holed out to Badree at deep extra cover off Emrit with the score at 276.
Nikita Miller (11) followed him without addition to the score to have the host side eight wickets down.
Pagon (88, 12 fours), who returned at the fall of Baugh's wicket, and Bevon Brown (eight not out) saw the team through to stumps without further loss.
The pick of the Trinidad bowlers was Emrit who finished with figures of 3-45 off 16 overs.while Sherwin Ganga and Kelly each had 2-46.
Jamaica only made one change to the side which defeated Guyana with spinner Brown coming in for paceman Dwight Stewart.
Jamaica first innings
B. Parchment c Badree b Kelly 0
D. Pagon not out 88
D. Hyatt c Babwah b S. Ganga 52
T. Lambert b Lynch 29
K. Hibbert c Ramdin b Emrit 15
C. Baugh c Badree b Emrit 53
D. Bernard lbw Kelly 23
D. Powell lbw S. Ganga 6
N. Miller c Mohammed b Emrit 11
B. Brown not out 8
Extras: (b5, lb2, w1) 8
TOTAL (for eight wkts 90 overs) 293
Fall: 0, 88,142, 182, 212, 225, 276, 276.
Bowling: Kelly 16-5-46-2, Lynch 13-1-59-1 (1w), Emrit 16-2-45-3, Mohammed 23-5-74-0, S. Ganga 18-3-46-2, Badree 4-0-16-0.
