- JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamaica's Andrew Richardson is bowled by the Windwards' Kenroy Peters for a duck during the second day of their Carib Beer Series match at Alpart yesterday.
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
JAMAICA AND the Windward Islands were locked in a battle for first innings points when play ended on the second day of their regional Carib Beer series match at Alpart yesterday.
When bad light and then rain stopped play with one hour to go before the scheduled close and with 24 overs still to be bowled, the Windward Islands, replying to Jamaica's 204, were 57 for one off 25 overs and going well with Rommel Currency on 17 and No. 3 batsman Alvin LaFeuille on 32.
Resuming on 76 for three off 41 overs, Jamaica, once again cornered by the Windward Islands bowlers on a slow pitch and especially so by their two left-arm pacers who swung the ball appreciably, lost their remaining seven wickets for 128 runs.
Left-arm pacer Deighton Butler claimed two wickets for 27 runs off 10.2 overs, offspinner Shane Shillingford one for 39 off 15 overs, and left-arm pacer Kenroy Peters three for eight off 14 accurate overs.
It could have been worse for Jamaica but for the butter-fingered Windward Islands' fielders who dropped six catches during the day.
Batting for Jamaica, captain Tamar Lambert, three overnight, Gareth Breese and Miller each scored 30 runs with Breese and Miller, coming together at 144 for seven and surviving two chances each, posting 50 runs in 22 overs for the eighth wicket - the best partnership of the innings.
Opening the bowling from the northern end, Peters trapped Danza Hyatt, six overnight, leg before wicket in the morning's third over when the right-handed batsman, going back to the left-hander bowling over the wicket, shouldered arms to a delivery that swung back into him and was sent packing for seven at 77 for four.
With Lambert hitting legspinner Rawle Lewis for two fours and two sixes - one over mid-wicket and one over wide long-on, Jamaica rallied to 111 for four before David Bernard Jnr., pushed forward tentatively to Butler and was leg before for eight.
Wicket number six fell at 139 when Lambert, after escaping at 18 when he drove at Butler and Daren Sammy floored the catch at second slip, after escaping at 29 when he drove at Shillingford and the bowler dropped a return catch, and after batting for 151 minutes and facing 106 deliveries, drove once again at Shillingford who made no mistake.
Wicket number seven fell at 144 when Carlton Baugh Jnr., after hitting a no ball from Lewis over wide long-off for six, after swinging the spin bowler to the mid-wicket boundary and after going back and cutting Butler nicely to the backward point boundary, drove Sammy towards mid-off, took off for a single, and was run out by a direct hit by Butler.
At that stage, Jamaica were in trouble.
Fortunately for them, however, Breese and Miller batted sensibly and took them to lunch on 171 for seven with Breese going inside and driving Sammy to the mid-wicket boundary, going down on to his right knee and sweeping Lewis to the backward square-leg boundary, and next delivery, slipping his left foot forward and driving a well flighted delivery to the cover boundary.
After lunch, however, it was a different story.
In the first over, Miller on nine, was dropped by Butler at leg slip off Shillingford; in the second over, Breese, on 19, was dropped at slip by Sammy off Peters. In the fifth over, Miller, still on nine, was dropped by LaFeuille at mid-off Shillingford; and off the first delivery of the second new ball bowled by Butler, Breese, on 29 and driving, was dropped by LaFeuille at cover.
Fortunately for the Windward Islands, Breese went back to Peters in the following over and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Junior Murray at 194 for eight, Andrew Richardson drove at Peters and was bowled for zero at 200 for nine, and Miller, after two elegant strokes off Butler - a drive to the square-leg boundary and a drive to the long-off boundary, was leg before to Butler after batting for 113 minutes, facing 77 deliveries and stroking five boundaries.
Left with 49 overs, the Windward Islands lost Craig Emmanuel leg before wicket to Jerome Taylor for one at one for one in the third over before Currency and LaFeuille steadied them with an unbroken partnership of 56.
Meanwhile at The Valley, Anguilla, the Leeward Islands, choosing to bat, reached 155 for eight in their first innings when bad light stopped play on the scheduled second day in their rain-affected 2005-06 Carib Beer Series match against Trinidad & Tobago at Webster Park.
Scores: Leeward Islands 155 for eight (Shane Jeffers 31, Austin Richards 28, Omari Banks 26 not out, Tonito Willett 26; Sherwin Ganga 2-22, Dave Mohammed 2-35, Reyad Emrit 2-36) vs Trinidad & Tobago.
SCOREBOARD
Jamaica first innings
(Resumed at 76-3)
T. Lambert c and b Shillingford 30
D. Hyatt lbw Peters 7
D. Bernard lbw Peters 8
C. Baugh run out (Butler) 23
G. Breese c Murray b Peters 30
N. Miller lbw Butler 30
A. Richardson b Peters 0
J. Taylor not out 0
Extras (lb3, w13) 16
TOTAL: (all out) 204
Fall: 1-11, 2-59, 3-69, 4-77, 5-111, 6-139, 7-144, 8-194, 9-200.
Bowling: Butler 23.2-8-47-3, Sammy 10-3-15-0, Peters 20-11-18-3, Shillingford 19-5-46-1, Lewis 22-7-75-2.
Windward Islands first innings
R. Currency not out 17
C. Emmanuel lbw Taylor 1
A. LaFeuille not out 32
Extras (b1, lb2, w1, nb3) 7
TOTAL: (for one wkt) 57
Fall: 1-1.
Bowling: Taylor 4-1-11-1, Richardson 7-1-14-0, Bernard 6-1-15-0, Breese 5-0-8-0, Miller 3-2-6-0.
