- JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamaica's pacer Andrew Richardson (second right) celebrates one of his five Leewards victims with wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr. (left), Danza Hyatt (second left) and other teammates on the first day of their regional Carib Beer Series match at Kensington Oval yesterday. Richardson took five for 32 as Jamaica dismissed the Leewards for 196.
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Jamaica, thanks to a post-tea burst of five for four in four overs by pacer Andrew Richardson, survived a poor start to steal the honours on the opening day of the regional Carib Beer Cup cricket match against the Leeward Islands at Kensington Park yesterday.
At stumps on the first day of the four-day contest, the scoreboard read, the Leeward Islands 196, Jamaica 35 for one off 10.4 overs when bad light stopped play.
Bowling for Jamaica, Richardson finished with the impressive figures of five for 32 off 10 overs, left-arm spinner Nikita Miller three for 37 off 18.4, and offspinner Gareth Breese two for 37 off 14.
At one stage, the Leeward Islands were going great guns at 160 for two before, thanks to Richardson and Miller, they lost eight wickets for 36 runs including a stunning six for 11 in 8.4 overs after tea.
EXCITEMENT
Bowling from the south, Miller removed Runako Morton and Tonito Willett in one over with Morton lofting a catch to David Bernard Jr., coming in from long-on and going for 62 at 160 for three, and Willett, zero, edging a catch to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr. at 160 for four.
The real excitement came in the second over after tea, however, when Richardson, after looking pedestrian in two spells in the morning, stormed in from the north and knocked away three batsmen in his first over after the interval.
The first to go was Wilden Cornwall - the veteran batsman going back and bowled off the inside edge for two at 185 for five; the second was Omari Banks - the batsman going inside to ondrive and trapped leg before wicket first ball for zero; and the third was Carl Simon - the left-hander playing defensively, edging a catch to Baugh, and departing the scene for zero at 185 for seven.
SENT PACKING LBW
Richardson then made it 191 for eight when Alderman Lesmond shouldered arms and was sent packing leg before wicket, and 194 for nine when, after hitting one six and stroking one four, captain Sylvester Joseph was beaten for pace and edged a catch to Baugh.
Miller picked up his third wicket when he bowled Adam Sanford for zero.
Jamaica lost Brenton Parchment for 19 at 24 for one when the batsman, going back to pacer Sanford, was beaten for pace and edged a catch to Morton at second slip, and were lucky when, with the batsman on seven at the score 31 for one, a good kicker from Sanford flew off the shoulder of Xavier Marshall's bat and a diving Banks at gully failed to come up with the catch.
