Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
Windward Islands batsman Junior Murray is bowled by David Bernard Jnr. in the Carib Beer Series match against Jamaica at Alpart Sport Club in Nain, St. Elizabeth yesterday. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE CARIB Beer Series cricket match between Jamaica and the Windward Islands comes to an end at Alpart today with the stage set for a close and exciting finish.
When umpires Basil Morgan of Montserrat and Vivian Johnson of Jamaica stopped play at 5.15p.m. with eight overs remaining due to bad light yesterday (one over after Jamaica had refused their offer for light), the scoreboard read Jamaica 204 and 110 for three; the Windward Islands 144.
With Jamaica leading by 170, with Shaun Findlay and David Bernard Jnr. not out on 31 and 12 respectively, with seven wickets in hand, with the visitors first innings lasting for only 77.3 overs and a minimum of 105 to be bowled today, the home team must fancy their chances on a wearing last day pitch.
Short of a collapse, however, it could all depend on when Jamaica declare their second innings closed, and whether with first innings lead already in the bag they decide to go for victory and the maximum 12 points.
NINE FOR 87
With the Windward Islands resuming on 57 for one off 25 overs, Jamaica won the lead when they grabbed nine wickets for 87 runs in 52.3 overs with left-arm spinner Nikita Miller starting the ball rolling with the first wicket; with pacer Andrew Richardson, medium-pacer Bernard and pacer Jerome Taylor keeping it going with two, two and one wicket each; and with offspinner Gareth Breese, three wickets for 15 runs off 8.3 overs after lunch, wrapping up the innings.
In a beautiful plan which saw Miller, who bowled 15 overs on the trot, locking up one end with some tight bowling and Taylor and Richardson and then Bernard attacking from the other, Jamaica limited a cautious Rommel Currency and Alvin La Feuille to 16 runs off 14 overs before Miller struck.
Switching from around the wicket to over the wicket, Miller sent La Feuille, 32 overnight, packing when the right-hander attempted to hit over mid-wicket, missed the ball and was leg before wicket for 43 at 73 for two in the 39th over.
That was the beginning of a slide that saw the Windward Islands tumbling to 86 for six in the 50th over.
In the over after LaFeuille's demise Richardson, getting the ball to bounce appreciably, removed Currency for 22 at 73 for three - the batsman driving loosely at a delivery pitched outside the offstump.
In his following over the right-arm pacer made it 74 for four when the left-handed Sergio Fedee played forward and edged the swinging delivery to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jnr.
Bernard, replacing Richardson who had taken two wickets for seven runs in five overs in a lively spell, bowled Junior Murray offstump through the gate for five at 86 for five in the 48th over and in his following over, the all-rounder made it 86 for six when Darren Sammy attempted to drive and was caught by Breese at second slip.
WELL-PITCHED YORKER
With captain Rawle Lewis driving Bernard to the cover boundary, Hyron Swallow sweeping Miller to the backward square-leg boundary and Baugh failing to stump Swallow off Breese, the Windward Islands added 22 runs for the seventh wicket before, in the over to lunch, Lewis attempted to drive Taylor and was bowled middle stump by a well-pitched yorker at 108 for seven.
After the interval, Breese removed the left-handed Deighton Butler, caught by Breese at second slip; Shane Shillingford, caught by Danza Hyatt at short-leg; and ended the innings when Swallow, after joining the action at 73 for three, after batting for 160 minutes, facing 117 deliveries and stroking four boundaries, chipped to Breese and was caught by captain Tamar Lambert at mid-wicket.
JAMAICA 1st Innings 204 (T Lambert 30,
G Breese 30, N Miller 30; K Peters 3-18)
WINDWARD ISLANDS 1st Innings (overnight 57 for 1)
R Currency c wkp Baugh b Richardson 22
C Emmanuel lbw Taylor 1
A La Feuille lbw Miller 43
S Fedee c wkp Baugh b Richardson 1
H Shallow c Lambert b Breese 38
+J Murray b Bernard 5
D Sammy c Breese b Bernard 0
R Lewis b Taylor 12
D Butler c Parchment b Breese 5
S Shillingford c Hyatt b Breese 9
K Peters not out 0
Extras (b1, lb2, w1, nb4) 8
TOTAL (all out - 77.3 overs ) 144
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-73, 3-73, 4-74, 5-86, 6-86,
7-108, 8-121, 9-143.
Bowling: Taylor 17-5-34-2; Richardson 16-4-31-2; Bernard 11-3-24-2; Breese 15.3-4-23-3; Miller 18-7-29-1.
JAMAICA 2nd Innings:
B Parchment st Murray b Lewis 36
X Marshall c Sammy b Butler 13
S Findlay not out 31
D Hyatt c Emmanuel b Lewis 9
D Bernard not out 12
Extras (b1, lb1, nb7) 9
TOTAL (for 3 wkts) 110
Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-74, 3-97
To Bat: T Lambert, +C Baugh, G Breese, N Miller, A Richardson, J Taylor.
Bowling: Butler 9-1-22-1; Peters 7-0-17-0; Sammy 8-0-34-0; Lewis 12-1-26-2; Shillingford 6-1-9-0.
Position: Jamaica ahead by 170 runs with 7 second-innings wickets standing
Umpires: V. Johnson, B. Morgan.
