Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
Jamaica's Wavell Hinds (left) celebrates with Nikita Miller after Miller claimed the scalp of the Leeward Islands' Steven Liburd yesterday at Sabina Park in their Carib Beer Series match.
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
JAMAICA CONVERTED their promising start in the hunt for honours in this year's Carib Beer Series on day one into something positive when they led the Leeward Islands on first innings at Sabina Park yesterday.
At stumps on another bright and sunny day, the scoreboard read: Leeward Islands 155 and 87 for two, Jamaica 224. With two days to go in their opening match of the six-round tournament, with the Leeward Islands only 18 runs in front, the odds are on the home team going all the way, winning the match and pocketing the maximum 12 points.
It was, however, tough going for Jamaica and, but for opening batsman Xavier Marshall and all-rounder David Bernard Jr., the lead may well have gone to the Leeward Islands.
Resuming on 59 for two after 21 overs, Jamaica, who were expected to post a formidable first innings total, lost eight wickets for 165 runs off 48.4 overs in 201 minutes with Marshall, who stroked eight delightful boundaries, scoring 53 after batting for 139 minutes and facing 107 deliveries and Bernard, who scored 43 not out after batting for 176 minutes and facing 105 deliveries, leading the way.
Twenty-two minutes into the start of the day's play, pacer Adam Sanford got rid of nightwatchman Andre Russell for 15 at 90 for three, one run later, captain and offspinner Omari Banks sent Wavell Hinds packing for zero at 91 for four and when Marshall hooked at Sanford and departed the scene, it was 115 for five with 41 runs still needed for the lead.
Short, kicking delivery
While Russell was unfortunate to get a ball, a short, kicking delivery, which was simply too good for a confirmed tailender, Hinds was careless, and so too was Marshall.
Hinds, the experienced left-hander, dropped off the previous delivery by wicketkeeper Devon Thomas, swung wildly, lofted a catch to cover and walked away without a run to his name; and Marshall, after two successive boundary strokes, went back and hooked the following delivery straight to Moncin Hodge on the backward square-leg boundary.
Fortunately for Jamaica, captain Tamar Lambert was batting - and batting well at that, and with Bernard joining him, they carried Jamaica into the lead before Lambert, on 36 and again after two lovely strokes, one off the back-foot against pacer Lionel Baker to the mid-wicket boundary and one off the front-foot against legspinner Anthony Martin to the extra-cover boundary, stroked a return catch to Martin and went away at 172 for six.
At 199, Baugh became the seventh batsman to depart the scene when he went back to pacer Gavin Tonge and was bowled middle stump for 15 when the ball cut back and hit the inside edge of his bat which, from the distance of the Press Box, appeared to have stopped moving in mid air with the batsman surprised and frozen.
The leading bowlers for the Leeward Islands were pacer Sanford with two for 57 off 17 overs, offspinner Banks with three for 50 off 15.4 overs and Martin, the legspinner who did not turn the ball, with three for 31 off 19 overs.
Trailing by 69 and left with a minimum of 39 overs to go to the end of the day's play, the Leeward Islands kept alive their hopes of a better showing in their second innings.
In between some solid defensive batting and some confident stroke play, the Leeward Islands lost Javier Liburd for eight at 31 for one in the ninth over - the youngster playing forward to the second delivery from spinner Odean Brown and trapped in front, and then Steve Liburd for 28 at 67 for two in the 28th over - the batsman driving a return catch to a delighted Nikita Miller.
