Anthony Foster, Freelance WriterWEST INDIES' batsman Wavell Hinds look likely to be leading defending Supreme Ventures Super Cup champions Kensington in Jamaica's 'B' league next season.
Entering this weekend's final preliminary clash against Manchester needing to win outright to avoid the dreaded drop, Kensington closed yesterday's opening day in trouble.
Replying to Manchester 282 for eight declared, the East Kingston-based team was reeling on 15 for three.
Manchester's total was built around Orville Pennant, 69, and Domain Sangster, 50, while Peter Colquhoun, with 3-39, was the pick of Kensington's bowlers.
If the team is relegated to the Red Stripe Championship, Hinds will be joined by two other West Indies caps, Daren Powell and David Bernard Jr., along with Jamaica players Brenton Parchment and Maurice Kepple.
Elsewhere, 25 wickets fell at Melbourne Oval as the hosts and St. Elizabeth were locked in a tense battle for full points.
Scores: St. Elizabeth 106 and 56 for five; Melbourne 100.
St. Elizabeth's Howard Powell, 31, and Jamie Goodheart, 46, put on 46 for the second wicket, but the middle order failed to cope with the off-spin of Yanick Elliott, who finished with 5-11 off seven. Llewellyn Meggs got 2-24.
CONSISTENT FALL
In their turn at bat, Melbourne's Damion Jacobs, 35, Damion Henry, 24, put on 53 for the first wicket but after that the wickets fell consistently.
Powell (5-19) and Alton Beckford (4-25) were the spinners who did the damage for St. Elizabeth.
In their second innings, St. Elizabeth will depend heavily on Dave Ledgister, 35 not out, to post a respectable
target.
At Up Park Camp, JDF and Kingston were fighting for first innings points.
Kingston made 196 with Nicholas Austin, 91, Shane Brooks, 29, scoring most runs against Mark Grey, 4-51, Kamal Dennis, 2-18, Damion Grey,
2-3, and Wayne Cuff, 2-34.
JDF were 54 for one when bad light stopped play. Andel Daley, 12 not out, and Breston Reid, 24 retired hurt, have so far scored most runs.
At Port Esquivel, Lucas were replying strongly to St. Catherine Parish's 170.
Shawn Beckford, 28, and Michael Bedward, 27, top scored for the Parish while Gary Herbine claimed 5-47.
In reply, Lucas were 108 without loss. Wayne Gayle, 61, and Kevin Hinds, 17, were the not out batsmen.
At Gray's Inn, St. Catherine CC pacer Andre Russell rocked St. Mary's top order as his team closed in on first innings points.
Dean Morgan, 67, and Bevon Brown, 53, were the leading lights in St. Catherine's 200. Cladious Thompson (3-17) and Ian McLeod (3-53) were the top wicket takers.
St. Mary were 12 for four with Russell taking all four wickets for nine runs.
