HINDS
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):
BARBADOS WERE on the brink of victory, although Wavell Hinds drew on all of his experience to prolong the agony for Jamaica in their Carib Beer Series match yesterday at the Three Ws Oval.
Hinds, the Jamaica captain, hit the top score of 82 and helped the visitors, trailing the Barbadians by 290 runs on first innings, reach 310 for eight in their second innings when stumps were drawn on the third day.
Hinds gained solid support for the fightback from Carlton Baugh, Jnr., who scored 75, and Tamar Lambert, who made 54.
Fidel Edwards was the most successful Barbados bowler with three wickets for 71 runs from 16 overs, and Ian Bradshaw collected two for 77 from 21 overs.
Hinds emerged from a circumspect beginning to collect nine fours and two sixes from 255 balls in a little under 5-1/2 hours before he gifted his wicket about 10 minutes before the umpires picked bails.
Hinds, who had been dropped on 61, when square leg fielder Alcindo Holder, much to the chagrin of Edwards, misjudged a straightforward chance, was just beginning to enjoy himself, and had taken toll on the Barbados bowling with a couple of meaty boundaries.
Trying to clear the long-on boundary for a third time off spin bowler Ryan Austin, he failed to get enough bat on the ball, and Bradshaw gleefully accepted an easy catch just inside the rope.
Before the intervention of Hinds, Lambert, and Baugh, Barbados looked to be heading for a day off, when Jamaica struggled to 91 for four at lunch, after they continued from their bedtime position of 11 without loss.
After the interval, Hinds, however, added 85 for the fifth wicket with Lambert, and then shared 117 for the sixth wicket with Baugh to make sure the Jamaicans forced the match into a fourth day.
Lambert struck seven fours and one six from 106 balls in 2-1/2 hours, and Baugh lashed seven fours and one six from 94 balls in a little over two hours.
Jamaica suffered two setbacks in the first half-hour, when Edwards removed opening batsman Brenton Parchment palpably caught behind for six, and left-hander Shawn Findlay dubiously in the same manner for a "duck" to leave the visitors on 20 for two.
Opening batsman Xavier Marshall was joined at the crease by Marlon Samuels and they got the score moving before they were dismissed in successive overs, after adding 44 for the third wicket.
Marshall was adjudged lbw to Ryan Nurse for 22, and Samuels offered an easy return catch to Dwayne Smith to leave Jamaica on 68 for four.
After lunch, Jamaica made steady progress to reach 168 for five, as Lambert joined Hinds and the two resisted the Barbadian bowlers, mixing sound defence with aggression.
While Hinds dropped anchor and set himself up for the long grind, Lambert played some enterprising strokes on either side of the wicket before Edwards returned to claim him lbw about 20 minutes before tea to leave Jamaica 153 for five.
After the break, Hinds and Baugh began to impose themselves on the Barbadians. They were strokes of all descriptions with Baugh putting Nurse over the long-on boundary twice in the same over.
Baugh was relentless and an eighth first-class hundred looked on the horizon, when Barbados captain Ryan Hinds claimed the second new ball, and Bradshaw claimed the diminutive wicketkeeper/batsman caught at gully slicing a drive.
Four balls later, Bradshaw struck again, when Gareth Breese played forward and edged a regulation catch to first slip fielder Floyd Reifer to leave Jamaica 270 for seven.
Austin then set back the Jamaica revival with the dismissal of Hinds leaving the tail-enders and the weather as the only obstacles standing between the visitors and a second straight defeat.
SCOREBOARD
JAMAICA 1st Innings 129
BARBADOS 1st Innings 419
JAMAICA 2nd Innings
(overnight 11 without loss)
X. Marshall lbw b Nurse 22
B. Parchment c wkpr Browne b Edwards 6
S. Findlay c wkpr Browne b Edwards 0
M. Samuels c and b Smith 36
W. Hinds c Bradshaw b Austin 82
T. Lambert lbw b Edwards 54
+C. Baugh cHinds b Bradshaw 75
G. Breese c Reifer b Bradshaw 0
N. Miller not out 11
J. Taylor not out 6
Extras (b5, lb5, w2, nb6) 18
TOTAL (8 wkts) 310
Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-20, 3-64, 4-68, 5-153, 6-270, 7-270, 8-303.
Bowling: Edwards 16-2-71-3 (nb2, w2); Bradshaw 21-4-77-2; Nurse 16-5-55-1; Smith 12-4-31-1 (nb1); Austin 19-8-33-1 (nb2); Hinds 9-2-33-0 (nb1).
Position: Jamaica lead by 20 runs with two second innings wickets standing.
Umpires: V. Bullen, V. Weekes
