Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

Trinidad batsman Rayad Emrit is caught behind by Jamaica's wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh for 25 during day two of their Carib Beer Series match at Alpart yesterday. - Junior Dowie / Staff Photographer

MANDEVILLE:

JAMAICA BREATHED a sigh of relief at Alpart yesterday when, after riding high and looking set to chalk up a hefty first innings, they managed to squeeze out the lead and keep themselves in the hunt for a place in the regional four-day Challenge Trophy final.

When bad light stopped play at 4:36 after nine overs in Jamaica's second innings on the second day of the Carib Beer Series match, the scoreboard read: Jamaica 254 and 26 for one, Trinidad and Tobago 236 - thanks to a last-wicket partnership of 97 off 26.1 overs in 100 minutes between left-handers Dave Mohammed, 74 not out, and Amit Jaggernauth, 25, after the visitors looked dead and buried at 139 for nine 55 minutes before the regular tea time.

With the tension building as the last-wicket partnership bloomed and took Trinidad and Tobago closer to Jamaica's first innings, with captain Wavell Hinds going from one bowler to another in a desperate attempt to wrap up the innings, Tamar Lambert finally saved Jamaica when he trapped Jaggernauth leg before wicket 15 minutes after the extended tea break.

Career-best performance

Joining the action at 108 for eight and with his team sinking, Mohammed batted for 139 minutes, faced 89 deliveries and struck two sixes and eight fours in a career-best performance that took Trinidad and Tobago to within 19 runs of first innings lead and a place in the final of the Carib Beer Challenge Trophy.

Last man Jaggernauth faced 88 deliveries and stroked one boundary.

Resuming at 10 for one, Trinidad and Tobago were on the run from early in the morning when, faced with deadly bursts from fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Jermaine Lawson, they lost three wickets, including those of young batting stars, 16-year-old Adrian Barath and 19-year-old Kieron Pollard, for eight runs in five overs in the first 30 minutes.

Out lbw

Running in from the northern end, Taylor sent Barath packing for three at 13 for two in the morning's second over when the youngster shuffled across the stumps and was leg before for three.

Two overs later, it was 13 for three when Jason Mohammed, on zero, hooked at Taylor and top-edged a catch to David Bernard Jr. running back at first slip, and it was 18 for four when Pollard, after facing only five deliveries and still to get off the mark, drove powerfully at Lawson and lost his middle stump and his leg stump.

At that stage, Jamaica, who need to win the match while preventing Trinidad and Tobago from getting any points from it in order to reach the final along with Barbados, were in the driver's seat and even though captain Daren Ganga, 22, and Denesh Ramdin, 24, posted 42 runs for the fifth wicket, they were still going strong when they sent back Ramdin and Richard Kelly in successive overs.

After hooking Taylor for a lovely six over backward square-leg, Ramdin, who hooked and missed a number of times, hooked at pacer Daren Powell and was brilliantly caught by Taylor coming off the backward square-leg boundary and diving forward.

That was 60 for five, and it was 63 for six when Kelly, going for the second run from a Ganga stroke to mid-wicket, was run out for one at the bowler's end when an arrow-like throw from Lawson landed straight into the hands of bowler Bernard standing over the stumps.

Once again, and with Rayad Emrit, 25, stroking Lawson for three boundaries through the offside in one over, Trinidad and Tobago recovered and got to 100 for six before losing Ganga and Emrit in successive overs.

Ganga, after a long battle lasting 137 minutes and 87 deliveries, hooked at Powell and was caught by Bernard at square-leg at 100 for seven, and Emrit hooked at Taylor, edged a catch to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jnr, and departed the scene at 108 for eight.

With half the day gone, it was 139 for nine when the left-handed Ravi Rampaul failed to get away from a short delivery from Lawson and edged a catch to Baugh.

At that stage, with the lead 115, Jamaica were in high spirits, and deservedly so.

Mohammed, dropped three times - at 37 at 158 when he cut at Lambert's first delivery and Parchment at slip muffed the chance, at 59 at 204 when he swung at left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, and Taylor, after his brilliant catch earlier on, dropped a sitter at cover, and at 65 at 211 when he escaped a return catch to Lambert, was, however, in no mood to surrender. After starting with a big hit for six over long-on off Lawson, he went to town against all Jamaica's bowlers - especially so their fast bowlers and none more so than Taylor.

Cutting, driving and slicing, Mohammed caned the bowlers - including Taylor who, in one over immediately after his first escape, charged and hit the pacer high over long-on for six, pushed his right-foot down the pitch and hit to the mid-wicket boundary and then eased his right foot across his stumps and drove to the cover boundary.

Left with 28 overs to go to the end of the day's play, Jamaica, now on the hunt for victory and a place in the final, lost Lorenzo Ingram to Rampaul for four at five for one in the second over - the left-hander stretching forward and nicking a catch off the inside edge of his bat to wicketkeeper Ramdin.

Just before the umpires offered the light with 17 overs to go, Brenton Parchment, following up on his first innings 111, audaciously hooked Rampaul over long-leg for a glorious six.

Jamaica first innings 254

T&T first innings

(Resumed at 10-1)

A. Barath lbw Taylor