Floyd Reifer narrowly missed out on a hundred, but he brought some respectability to the Combined Campuses & Colleges' (CCC) batting against Windward Islands in the WICB regional four-day competition yesterday.

Reifer hit the top score of 92, as the CCC, sent in to bat in gloomy conditions, reached 227 for nine in their first innings at the close on the rain-shortened opening day of their fourth-round match at the Three Ws Oval, when bad light stopped play 11 overs early.

The 36-year-old Reifer, playing his 18th season of regional first-class cricket, helped stabilise the CCC innings, after it appeared to be at the crossroads on 135 for four just after tea.

He dominated a third wicket stand of 45 with Nekoli Parris, who gave solid support with 54, and rallied the lower order until he was dismissed in the last hour trying to reach the landmark before the fading light closed.

But he was fortunate to have survived that long.

He was dropped twice before he passed 20, when Mervyn Matthew dropped him on six off Liam Sebastien, and Andre Fletcher dropped him on 11 off the same bowler.

Both sides are on 12 points and tied for fourth in the seven-team competition behind Jamaica, Barbados, and Tri-nidad and Tobago.