Jamaica's opening batsman Brenton Parchment (right) drives through the offside on the way to scoring a ton against Trinidad and Tobago, while wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin looks on during the Carib Beer Series match at Alpart Sports Ground, Nain, St. Elizabeth, yesterday. - Junior Dowie /Staff Photographer
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
On a nice cool day, the battle between bat and ball, between batsman and bowler, was tense throughout as the batsmen, led by Jamaica's Brenton Parchment in a solid and sometimes scintillating display, battled for supremacy against some tight bowling by Trinidad and Tobago on a troublesome pitch at Alpart in Nain, south-east St. Elizabeth, yesterday.
At stumps, on the first day of the final round Carib Beer series cricket match between third-place Jamaica and defending champions and second- place Trinidad and Tobago, between one team fighting for the one remaining place in the Challenge Trophy final and with leaders Barbados still within reach of Trinidad and Tobago, one for at least the same place, Trinidad and were 10 for one off 3.2 overs replying to Jamaica's 254 off 83.1.
Battled defensively
Batting for Jamaica, opening batsman Parchment scored a chanceless, faultless 111 during a day-long battle with pacer Ravi Rampaul - three for 62 off 18 overs, left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed - three for 51 off 18 overs, and off - spinner Amrit Jaggernauth who finished with four for 99 off 20.1 overs.
Going into the match with one first-class century, a polished 100 against Guyana at Kensington Park in 2005, and with a top score of 76 this year against the Windward Islands in the second match, Parchment battled defensively in the pre-lunch period, before reeling off some lovely strokes after lunch on his way to his second century.
Born in the fishing village of Great Bay in the Treasure Beach area of the parish and bred in the parish, the 24-year-old former student of St. Elizabeth Technical High School batted for 314 minutes during which he faced 195 deliveries and stroked 10 fours and two sixes before, in the 79th over and with last man Jermaine Lawson as his partner, he swung at Mohammed and skied a catch to Richard Kelly coming off the long-on boundary.
Parchment apart, and possibly also captain Wavell Hinds who smashed two sixes, one off Jaggernauth and one off Mohammed, Jamaica's batsmen were pinned in defence - and especially so before lunch when, after losing the toss and sent to bat they inched to the interval at 67 for one off 30 overs.
Escaping on 24 at 49, when he went back and stroked a delivery from Mohammed in and out of young Adrian Barath's hands at forward short-leg, the left-handed Lorenzo Ingram fell in the over to lunch when, on 29, he went forward to Jaggernauth and was caught by Barath at silly point.
That was 62 for one, and with Danza Hyatt stroking his first delivery to the long-off boundary, it became 67 for two in the over after lunch when Mohammed pulled Hyatt forward and out of his crease and left wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin to do the rest.
The coming of Hinds saw Jamaica changing gear as he and Parchment stroked the ball around and forced captain Daren Ganga to make a few bowling changes before, after he had shared in a partnership of 75 off 20 overs, the left-handed Hinds carelessly hit Jaggernauth straight to Rampaul at mid-on and left the scene for 36 at 142 for three in the 50th over.
Three overs later, it was 151 for four when Tamar Lambert, on two, went inside to ondrive Rampaul, missed and was leg before wicket.
David Bernard Jnr. played a few handsome strokes before he was caught at first slip by Lendl Simmons for 11 at 181 for five, and when Carlton Baugh Jnr., on one, hooked at Rampaul and was caught down the legside by Ramdin, it was 185 for six and the end of the innings was in sight.
Fortunately for Jamaica, Jerome Taylor, at the end of a day in which, up to his coming at 208 for seven, the bowlers were in front, balanced the contest between bat and ball with some clean hitting before, after blasting three sixes off Jaggernauth, went at Mohammed, missed the ball, and was bowled for 22 at 234 for eight in the 77th over.
In the following over from Mohammed, Parchment's gem came to an end when, probably not even thinking about it, he missed the distinction of batting through the innings when he was ninth out at 235.
Left with four overs to the end of the day, Trinidad and Tobago lost Simmons, when in the last over of the day, the opening batsman went back to Lawson, to the delivery after he was shook up by a fast, short delivery, and was bowled neck and crop - the middle-stump and the off-stump sent flying.
T&T 1st Innings
L Ingram c Barath b Jaggernauth
