Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

Barbados' fast bowler Corey Collymore celebrates his six- wicket haul against Jamaica during the first day's play in the Carib Beer Series match at Chedwin Park yesterday. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

The race is not for the swift, and with three days to go, it is not impossible that Jamaica could recover and win the regional Carib Beer cricket series match against Barbados in progress at Chedwin Park.

At stumps on yesterday's first day's play, however, the scoreboard read, Jamaica 132, Barbados 120 for three with Dale Richards and Floyd Reifer on 74 and eight, respectively, and the home team was looking down the barrel and in serious trouble.

Cornered by pacers Corey Collymore and Pedro Collins, the right-hander and the left-hander who took six wickets for 30 runs off 19 overs and two for 29 off 16 overs, respectively, Jamaica's batsmen, playing and missing against the seam and swing of the two West Indies reps, were shot down one by one and especially so after lunch when the home team lost six wickets while scoring 50 runs off 31 overs.

Resistance

The only batsmen to offer any resistance were opening batsman Brenton Parchment and number three, captain Wavell Hinds, who shared a second-wicket partnership of 53 in 26 overs with Parchment scoring 35 while batting for 173 minutes and facing 112 deliveries, and Hinds 39 after facing 110 deliveries in146 minutes.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first on a pitch which held no terror and in bright sunshine, Jamaica's batsmen were immediately under pressure from the left-arm swing of Collins and the hostile pace of Tino Best who knocked over Andrew Richardson and Jermaine Lawson to finish with two for 27 off 9.3 overs.

The pressure was such that the morning's session produced a mere 58 runs for the loss of one wicket off 27 overs in 120 minutes with the first attacking stroke coming after 40 minutes when Parchment pulled a short delivery from Best to the midwicket boundary.

Immediately after Parchment's charge, Danza Hyatt, much to the delight of the small Sunday morning gathering, played two lovely drives off Collins - one to the midwicket boundary and one to the long-on boundary.

But for an over in which Wavell Hinds caned off-spinner Ryan

JAMAICA 1st Innings

B. Parchment c Holder b