- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
John Eugene of Team Windjam is bowled by David Bernard Jnr of Jamaica Gold during yesterday's Double Wicket Tournament at Kaiser Sports Club.
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
LAST YEAR'S beaten finalists Barbados and the West Indies Masters, who failed to make it to the semi-finals, highlighted day one of the Jamaica Double Wicket Tournament at Kaiser Sports Club, Discovery Bay, yesterday.
On a day of entertaining cricket during which 31 boundaries were hit - including 11 sixes, Barbados, playing in Group Three and represented by Antonio Mayers and Alcindo Holder, and West Indies Masters, playing in Group Four and represented, as they did last year, by Carlisle Best and Alvin Greenidge, won their two matches to advance to today's second round.
Despite losing a wicket to the first delivery they faced when Kamal Dennis had Mayers caught by wicketkeeper Matthew Sinclair, Barbados, 19 for one and 11 without loss, defeated the Jamaica Defence Force and Jamaica Green respectively while West Indies Masters, 32 for one and 23 for one, defeated Jamaica Youths and Jamaica Green.
The other six teams to advance to today's second round where it will be two groups of four teams each with the top two from each group moving into the semi-finals and the two winners contesting the final were Jamaica Masters and defending champions Antigua from Group One, Jamaica Gold and Melbourne from Group Two, Jamaica Green from Group Three, and Jamaica from Group Four.
In Group One, Jamaica Masters, represented by Nehemiah Perry and Cleveland Davidson, advanced with one victory from one match while Antigua, represented by Sylvester Joseph and Wilden Cornwall and who lost the only match they played, made it to the second round because Jamaica Black failed to field a team.
In Group Two, Jamaica Gold, represented by David Bernard Jnr. and Brenton Parchment, and Melbourne, represented by Llewelyn Meggs and Ramon Hutchinson, won one, lost one, and moved on ahead of Windjam, who were represented by John Eugene of the Windward Islands and Damion Henry of Jamaica.
Windjam replaced the Windward Islands because Henry replaced Deighton Butler, who pulled out at the last moment due to "Pink Eye".
In Group Three, Jamaica Green, represented by Gareth Breese and Lorenzo Ingram, accompanied Barbados into the second round with one victory and one loss, and in Group Four, Jamaica Youths, represented by Howard Powell, and Chadwick Walton got through with a one-one record.
The groups for the second round: Group One - Barbados, Jamaica Masters, Melbourne, Jamaica Youths; Group Two - West Indies Masters, Antigua, Jamaica Gold, Jamaica Green.
The other two teams that dropped out were Trinidad and Tobago, who lost both their matches in Group One, and JDF, who also lost twice.
The highlights so far: highest team score - 40 by Melbourne against Jamaica Gold; highest individual score - 32 not out by Parchment versus Windjam; best catches - George Adams - a spectacular diving catch at mid-wicket to dismiss Wayne Cuff of JDF off Mayers of Barbados, and Andre Dwyer - a brilliant overhead catch on the mid-wicket boundary to dismiss Ricardo of Trinidad and Tobago off Walton of Jamaica Youths.
Report courtesy of Breezes Golf & Beach Resort, Runaway Bay.
