A very elated Wavell Hinds (right) celebrates taking the wicket of Barbados batsman Ryan Hinds (out of pic) on day three of the WICB Regional Four-day Championship match at Kensington Oval yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

After three intense days of cricket, the top-of-the-table WICB Regional Four-day Championship match between Jamaica and Barbados, at Kensington Park, is headed for a thrilling showdown, with Jamaica needing 201 runs to win outright on a wicket that has lost pace and is showing signs of wear and tear.

The Jamaicans, who lead the encounter on first innings after dismissing the Bajans for 293 and replying with 314, as they secured a lead of 21 at the end of day two, bowled themselves into contention for maximum points on a brilliant all-round team effort that kept the visitors in check and, in the end, limited them to a modest second-innings total of 221.

Leg-spinner Odean Brown, who has had an otherwise average match, was the pick of the Jamaican bowlers with 3-40, while there were two-wicket hauls for medium pacers Wavell Hinds (2-14) and David Bernard Jr (2-39), and a solitary wicket for left-arm orthodox Nikita Miller, who ended with 1-40.

Composure and class

The Barbadians, who were second in the championship standings behind Jamaica heading into the contest, were led to their total by West Indies one-day international wicketkeeper-batsman Patrick Browne, who, showing composure and class, crafted a well-played 57 not out, which included six boundaries, three of which raced through the offside.

Browne, 27, who has five one-day international appearances under his belt and made his debut against South Africa early last year, was best supported by debutant opener, Rashidi Boucher, who stroked 48 and all-rounder Kevin Stoute, who has been having a good match so far with both bat and ball. Stoute, batting at number seven, made a defiant 33 to go with his 30 in the first innings, and took an innings topping 3-51 in Jamaica's first knock.

Good position

The in-form Ryan Hinds, who made 47 in the first innings, could only manage 22.

"It's a good position to be in and the hope is that we will be able to capitalise on the performance tomorrow (today)," said Brown, who, despite ending as Jamaica's leading wicket-taker on the day, was uncomfortable with his personal performance.

"I wasn't satisfied with my performance as I wasn't getting the balls in the right areas and could have bowled a lot better," added Brown.

Barbados captain, Jason Haynes, thinks his team has a good enough total on the board to defend and with a crumbling wicket, is optimistic that his team can pull off an upset.

FUTURE HOPES

"We have a total we can work with and hopefully we can come tomorrow and bowl with the discipline needed to pull of a victory," Haynes said.

"It's a fourth-day wicket and if we can come out and exploit the conditions by bowling the ball in the right areas, anything can happen," he opined.

The Jamaicans, who lead the standings with 30 points, will begin their reply at 10 a.m. and will look to their senior players Brenton Parchment, Donovan Pagon, Wavell Hinds, Tamar Lambert and David Bernard Jr to secure their fourth outright win in five matches.