POINTE-A-PIERRE, Trinidad & Tobago (CMC):
FAST BOWLER Rayad Emrit hit a maiden first-class century and grabbed two early wickets to give Trinidad and Tobago the advantage over Barbados on the second day of the 2005-06 Carib Beer Challenge final at Guaracara Park yesterday.
The 25-year-old Emrit made 112 that allowed Trinidad and Tobago to rally from their overnight 223 for eight to 340 all out and then removed Barbados openers Dale Richards and Wayne Blackman as the visitors ended the day at an unsteady 130 for five.
After Emrit's early strikes just before tea, Trinidad and Tobago strengthened their grip in the final session with a further three wickets that left Barbados trailing by 210 runs with five wickets in hand ahead of the third day of the five-day match.
Emrit, resuming on 37, played sensibly in an innings in which he batted for four hours, faced 196 balls, struck 13 fours and a six, and featured a record ninth-wicket partnership of 122 with Dave Mohammed, who made an even half-century.
Resuming from their overnight 223 for eight, the hosts moved merrily along in the morning period in which Emrit and Mohammed bettered Trinidad and Tobago's best ninth-wicket partnership in regional first-class competitions - 95 between Lincoln Roberts and Marlon Black against West Indies 'B' in 2003.
Inside the first hour and a quarter, Barbados used six bowlers without any success and by lunch, the session had produced 73 runs.
Barbados eventually claimed a wicket half-hour after the interval when Mohammed gave a catch to cover off fast medium Corey Collymore to end an innings that lasted just under three hours and included five fours off 132 balls.
Emrit, whose previous best first-class score was 55, was on 99 when he was joined by Amit Jaggernauth and might have had an anxious moment when the last man survived an appeal for lbw to Collymore, but duly reached his hundred which he gleefully celebrated.
It was an innings marked with solid defence and occasional aggression in which his only six came when he advanced down the pitch to off-spinner Ryan Austin and lifted him over mid-wicket.
