Tony Becca, Freelance Writer
Jamaica's Bevan Brown (second right) and Shaun Findlay celebrate after the run-out of Windwards batsman Darren Sammy at the Carib Beer Match at Alpart the Match. The match ended in a draw. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE CARIB Beer Series cricket match between Jamaica and the Windward Islands ended at Alpart yesterday with the visitors hanging on for a draw and denying the home team a victory that at one stage seemed theirs for the taking.
Set a victory target of 249 off 81 overs after Jamaica had declared their second innings closed 50 minutes before lunch, the Windward Islands, cornered by some fine bowling by medium-pacer David Bernard Jnr., left-arm spinner Nikita Miller and pacer Jerome Taylor, were in serious trouble at 88 for six 25 minutes after tea.
But Junior Murray and captain Rawle Lewis, Deighton Butler and Shane Shillingford, aided by a few dropped catches, piloted them to safety.
Final score: Jamaica 204 and 188 for seven declared, the Windward Islands 144 and 144 for eight when, with one over to go, umpires Basil Morgan of Montserrat and Vivian Johnson of Jamaica offered Butler and Shillingford the light.
Coming together at 88 for six in the 50th over, Murray and Lewis added 35 runs in 15 overs with Murray, dropped twice, scoring 32 off 82 deliveries in 100 minutes and Lewis 25 off 66 deliveries in 81 minutes.
Coming together at 131 for eight in the fifth over of the mandatory 15 in the last hour, Butler, two not out, and Shillingford, eight not out, batted out the last 10 overs, the last five with five fielders hovering around the bat.
After leading the Leeward Islands on first innings in their drawn first-round encounter, the defending champions are now on 12 points after two rounds of the five-round competition for the Carib Beer Cup.
DECLARATION
Going into day's play on 110 for three and boasting a lead of 60, Jamaica, after losing four wickets for 73 runs in 22 overs and thanks to a career-
best 70 not out by Shaun Findlay, confidently called the declaration after 100 minutes of play.
At lunch, the Windward Islands, on 23 without loss off nine overs, looked a good bet to save the game.
Eighteen minutes after the interval, however, Jamaica struck, the Windward Islands lost two wickets for one run in two consecutive overs from medium-pacer David Bernard Jnr., and at that stage Jamaica appeared on the way.
Bowling from the northern end, Bernard, bowling a good length and line, trapped Craig Emmanuel leg before wicket for 16 at 30 for one, and in his following over, made it 31 for two when Alvin LaFeuille, also playing forward, was bowled off the inside edge for zero at 31 for two in the 16th over.
With left-arm Nikita Miller bowling round the wicket, pulling Rommel Currency forward defensively, and Gareth Breese diving forward at silly point to take the catch, it was 49 for three in the 27th over with the opening batsman gone for 22, and with Miller bowling over the wicket and bowling Hyron Swallow behind him for 13 as the right-handed batsman attempted to sweep, it was 67 for four in the 37th over.
At tea, it was 78 for four off 43 overs with Sergio Fedee on 10 and the dangerous Murray also on 10, and when, in the first over after the interval, Breese at second slip dropped Murray off pacer Jerome Taylor, it appeared that the gods were smiling on the Windward Islands.
In his following over, however, Taylor trapped the left-handed Fedee leg before wicket for 18 at 85 for five, and it was 88 for six four overs later when, with the gods then smiling on them, Jamaica picked up a wicket in the most unusual manner when, with Breese again dropping Murray off Taylor, Darren Sammy, going for a run and sent back by Murray, was run-out at the non striker's end.
With four wickets to get and 31 overs in which to do so, Jamaica were riding high and the odds were on them to win - especially so after Murray, going back to Bernard and playing to leg, was leg before wicket at 123 for seven in the 65th over, and after Lewis, playing half-cock to Miller, was caught by Danza Hyatt at forward short-leg off Miller at 131 for eight with 10 overs to go.
Butler and Shillingford defied everything Jamaica threw at them, however, and but for when the left-handed Butler pushed forward to Breese and Hyatt at silly point failed to take a sharp catching chance, batted safely to the end and left Jamaica to settle for first innings points.
JAMAICA 1st Innings 204
(T Lambert 30, G Breese 30, N Miller 30; K Peters 3-18)
WINDWARD ISLANDS 1st Innings 144
(A La Feuille 43; G Breese 3-23)
JAMAICA 2nd Innings
(overnight 110 for 3)
S Findlay not out 70
D Bernard c Shallow b Lewis 18
T Lambert c Sammy b Lewis 1
C Baugh c wk Murray b Peters 6
G Breese c wk Murray b Peters 18
N Miller not out 2
Extras (b1, lb5, nb9) 15
TOTAL (7 wkts decl. - 65 overs) 188
Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-74, 3-97, 4-130, 5-132, 6-146, 7-183.
Bowling: Butler 15-1-42-1, Peters 13-0-31-1, Sammy 8-0-34-0, Lewis 23-2-66-4, Shillingford 6-1-9-0.
WINDWARDS 2nd Innings
R Currency c Breese b Miller 22
C Emmanuel lbw b Bernard 16
A La Feuille b Bernard 0
S Fedee lbw b Taylor 18
H Shallow b Miller 13
J Murray lbw b Bernard 32
D Sammy run out 1
R Lewis c Hyatt b Miller 25
D Butler not out 2
S Shillingford not out 8
Extras (b5, lb1, nb1) 7
TOTAL (8 wkts-81 overs) 144
Fall of wkts: 1-30, 2-31, 3-49, 4-67, 5-85, 6-88, 7-123, 8-131.
Bowling: Taylor 11-1-28-1, Richardson 6-1-15-0, Bernard 12-4-16-3, Breese 27-10-42-0, Miller 20-8-28-3, Lambert 4-2-6-0, Hyatt 1-0-3-0.
Result: Match drawn.
Points: Jamaica 6, Windwards 3
Umpires: V. Johnson, B. Morgan.
