- Junior DowieBarbados' Ian Bradshaw is clean bowled by Jamaica's Gareth Breese during Busta Cup action yesterday at Sabina Park.
Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
THE BUSTA series cricket match between Jamaica and Barbados got underway at Sabina Park yesterday, the pre-match prediction was that the four-day contest between Shield holders and the Cup holders would be close and enthralling, and who is to tell, it could still be so.
At stumps on yesterday's first day, however, it did not appear that would be the case, and for it to be, Barbados will have to come good over the next three days.
Powered by some wonderful fast bowling by Darren Powell, who snatched five wickets for 28 runs off 11.3 overs, Jamaica, the Busta International Shield champions, routed Barbados, the Busta Cup champions, for 179 and then cruised to 62 without loss off 17 overs with in-form batsman Leon Garrick on 39 and newcomer David Bernard Jnr. on 15.
Based on the promise of the pitch, the expectation was for a good first-day total - regardless of which team batted first.
After winning the toss, however, Jamaica surprisingly sent Barbados to bat, and with Powell bowling really fast, maintaining a good line and length and cutting the ball off the seam, the visitors were in early trouble, never really got out it, and but for a wonderful seventh-wicket partnership of 87 between Floyd Reifer, who stroked a delightful 91, and Ian Bradshaw, who scored three, would have been embarrassed.
Bowling from the south, Powell, who picked up four wickets against Guyana in his debut match last weekend, handed Jamaica, and captain Robert Samuels, a dream start when, in a blistering spell during which he preened himself with figures of three wickets for six runs in seven overs, he removed Martin Nurse, captain Philo Wallace and Kurt Wilkinson in quick succession to leave Barbados reeling on 26 for three.
The 16-year-old left-handed Nurse went in the Kensington CC pacer's first over, the second of the innings, when he attempted to drive, was beaten by the pace of a well pitched delivery, and edged the ball straight to Laurie Williams at gully.
"Big Phil" went in Powell's third over when he went onto the back foot defensively and a perfectly pitched away cutter nicked the outside edge of his bat and flew straight to Ricardo Powell at second slip.
Wilkinson cut a short delivery straight to Bernard at point.
At that stage, Jamaica were on top; and after a stubborn fourth-wicket partnership of 29 in 86 minutes and 22 overs between Reifer and Shirley Clarke, and one of 26 between Reifer and Courtney Browne for the fifth wicket at better than a run a minute in five overs, they were on top again at 84 for six.
Left-arm spinner Ryan Cunningham made it 55 for four when he bowled Clarke; Darrell Powell made it 81 for five when he removed Browne with the second delivery of his second spell; and three runs later offspinner Gareth Breese bowled 18-year-old Dwayne Smith.
Clarke was bowled when he swept at Cunningham and the ball bounced off his right boot and onto the stumps; Browne was caught low down by wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert when an incutter nicked the inside edge of his bat; and Smith lost his offstump when he attempted, injudiciously, to swing Breese through the onside.
At that stage, Bradshaw joined Reifer, and with Bradshaw solid as a rock and Reifer playing some glorious strokes on either side of the wicket, Jamaica had to wait another 28 overs before their next success.
When it came, however, others followed quickly as Barbados lost their last four wickets for eight runs - including numbers eight and nine without the addition of a run.
SCOREBOARD
Barbados first innings
| R | M | B | 4 | 6 |
| P. Wallace c R. Powell b D. Powell | 11 | 29 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| M. Nurse c Williams b D. Powell | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Wilkinson c Bernard b D. Powell | 7 | 41 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| F. Reifer c Ventura b Bernard | 91 | 246 | 177 | 13 | 0 |
| S. Clarke b Cunningham | 9 | 86 | 73 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Browne c wkt Hibbert b D. Powell | 10 | 20 | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| D. Smith b Breese | 3 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| I. Bradshaw b Breese | 32 | 114 | 79 | 4 | 0 |
| R. Austin b Bernard | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Benn not out | 4 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| T. Best c Williams bD. Powell | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Extras: (lb1, nb7) 8
Total: (294 minutes, 70.3overs) 179
Fall: 3 (2), 19 (1), 26 (3), 55 (5), 81(6), 84 (7), 171 (4), 171 (8), 171 (9)
Bowling: J. Lawson 8/11/27/0 nb5(2/0/17/0 nb2, 6/1/10/0 nb3)
D. Powell11.3/5/28/5(7/5/6/3,4/0/22/1, 0.3/0/0/1)
L. Williams 13/4/25/0/nb2 (8/2/7/0 nb1, 5/2/18/0) G. Breese19/2/32/2(3/0/5/0, 9/1/14/1, 4/0/6/0, 3/1/7/1)
R. Cunningham10/3/39/1 (6/3/25/1, 4/0/14/0)
R. Powell2/0/7/0
D. Bernard Jnr. 7/2/20/2
Jamaica first innings
| L. Garricknot out | 39 | 76 | 62 | 4 | 0 |
| D. Bernard Jnrnot out | 15 | 76 | 45 | 2 | 0 |
Extras: (lb3, nb5) 8
Total: (76 minutes, 17 overs without loss) 62
Bowling: Best 4/0/26/0 nb3
Bradshaw 7/2/10/0 nb1
Smith 2/0/13/0
Benn 2/0/8/0 nb1
Austin 1/1/0/0
