T&T dominate hapless Barbados

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

TRINIDAD AND Tobago Red Force produced a sublime bowling performance for the second straight day on their way to demolishing the Barbados Pride by an innings and 56 runs inside two days when the West Indies Championship continued yesterday.

After being bowled out for 86 on the opening day, the Pride were bundled out for 121 in their second innings at Kensington Oval to suffer one of their most humiliating defeats in the competition’s history.

Elsewhere, the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Jamaica Scorpions, and Guyana Harpy Eagles are all on top in their respective matches.

Resuming the day with a 96-run lead over the Pride at Kensington Oval, the Red Force extended that advantage to 177 before being dismissed for 263.

Amir Jangoo carried his overnight score of 37 to 56, but there was little support except for Yannic Cariah’s 30, as medium pacer Jason Holder stalled the Red Force’s progress with a five-wicket haul.

Holder, along with fellow pacer Matthew Forde triggered a middle-order collapse that saw their opponents lose their last six wickets for just 64 runs.

Holder finished with 5-52 while Forde took 3-53.

Needing a big effort in the second innings to have any chance of winning the match, the Pride’s batsmen once again faltered in the face of menacing bowling from pacers Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip, and Joshua James.

Seales bowled Pride captain Kraigg Brathwaite for two, Phillip had Zachary McCaskie caught for eight, and James bowled Jonathan Drakes for 10 to leave them in tatters at 34 for three.

And when James accounted for the wicket of Kevin Wickham to make it 41 for four, the writing was already on the wall for the Pride.

Roston Chase, who topscored with 41 and Shai Hope tried their best to rebuild the innings in a 59-run partnership for the fifth wicket to carry the Pride into three figures.

But Chase’s run outsignalled the end of their resistance before Seales snagged the wicket of Hope for 20 to effectively end the contest as the Pride slumped to 100 for six.

Spinner Khary Pierre then took two late wickets, including the final one of Jomel Warrican, to hand the Red Force one of their most dominant ever victories in the tournament.

James ended with 3-16, Pierre took 2-11, Phillip 2-38, and Seales 2-50.

At Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the Leeward Islands Hurricanes were in complete control of their match against the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) heading into Friday’s third day of play.

After piling up 425 in their first innings, fast bowler Alzarri Joseph then tore into CCC with a six-wicket haul to leave them 170 for nine. CCC then declared, still 255 runs in arrears.

EARLY WICKETS

Joseph grabbed the early wickets of Kieran Powell, Damel Evelyn, and Shaqkere Parris to reduce the CCC to 37 for three before medium pacer Justin Greaves joined in the action to dismiss Kyle Corbin and Daniel Williams.

CCC needed an unbeaten knock of 39 from Romario Greaves and 26 from Chemar Holder to help them get up to their eventual total from an even more precarious 106 for seven.

Joseph ended with the admirable figures of 6-35, while Greaves took 2-13.

The Hurricanes chose not to enforce the follow-on, ending the day on 94 for one, an overall lead of 349 runs.

Earlier, resuming on their overnight total of 367 for five, the Hurricanes were rocked by a five-wicket haul from Chemar Holder to lose their last five-wickets for 60 runs.

Chemar Holder took 5-107 and fellow pacer Akeem Jordan took 3-77.

At Coolidge Cricket Ground, the Jamaica Scorpions have installed themselves as firm favourites in their contest against the West Indies Academy, having pushed their overall lead to 274 runs with eight wickets remaining.

Resuming on their overnight score of 332 for seven, the Scorpions were eventually dismissed for 375 with Jediah Blades grabbing 4-64.

Carlon Bowen-Tuckett and Mbeki Joseph then both hit half-centuries, but the WI Academy suffered a middle-order collapse to be eventually bowled out for 211.

Bowen-Tuckett made 57 from 100 balls, and Joseph scored 54 from 88, to put the WI Academy in a strong position at 172 for four.

However, off spinner Brad Barnes and pacer Ojay Shields staged a tremendous fightback by the Scorpions that saw them claim the last six WI Academy wickets for the addition of just 39 runs.

Barnes took 3-25 and Shields 3-40, while Marquino Mindley chipped in with 2-32.

Having secured a 164-run first-innings lead, the Scorpions ended the day on 110 for two, with Brandon King unbeaten on 58 and Javelle Glenn on 20 not out.

At the Guyana National Stadium, the Guyana Harpy Eagles are in sight of a first-innings lead against the Windward Islands Volcanoes in their rain-affected match.

After only 27 overs were possible on the opening day, the Harpy Eagles, led by veteran spinner Veerasammy Permaul, limited the Volcanoes to 213 after they resumed on 77 for two.

Opener Jeremy Solozano cracked 83 from 142 balls, captain Alick Athanaze made 39, and Sunil Ambris, 33, but no other Volcanoes batsmen showed up to the party.

Permaul ran through the middle and lower order to claim 4-55, Gudakesh Motie took 3-44, and Kevin Sinclair, 2-44.

The Harpy Eagles then found themselves in a ticklish position at 74 for three, before Kemol Savory and captain Tevin Imlach came to their rescue.

Savory ended unbeaten on 46, while Imlach was 40 not out, with the pair so far having added an unbeaten 85 for the fourth wicket to draw within 54 runs of the Volcanoes’ total.