Jamaica's Gavin Wallace bowls during the second innings of their WICB Regional four-day Championship match against the Leeward Islands at Sabina Park yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
After three days of see-saw action, the Jamaica-Leeward Islands WICB Regional four-day Championship cricket match at Sabina Park is tantalisingly poised, with both teams still in with a chance of pulling off an outright victory.
Jamaica, behind on first innings after they failed by two runs on Saturday to overall the Leewards' first innings total of 221, returned with fire in their stomach yesterday to dismiss their opponents for 202, thus setting themselves a victory target of 204.
However, at the close of play, thanks to a fiery spell of bowling from former West Indies Under-19 pacer Gavin Tonge, the homesters were in a spot of bother at 98 for four, still in need of 106 with six wickets in hand.
Seven scintillating fours
Opener Xavier Marshall, who has so far stroked seven scintillating fours and a six, is not out on 60 and will resume today with first innings half-century maker, David Bernard Jr, who is not out on 18.
"I still back Jamaica to come out on top in this one," said Jamaica's captain Tamar Lambert, who was one of Tonge's three late-evening victims.
"We still have two of our top-order batsmen at the crease and I have all the confidence in them that they will set the foundation for us to achieve the target," he added.
The delicate nature of the match was first set up by Jamaica's spinners Nikita Miller (2-34), Odean Brown (2-36) and Gavin Wallace (2-49), who got bounce and turn to mesmerise the Leeward; then Tonge, who exacted bounce and pace from the wicket to clean up the homesters' top order and end with 3-37.
All-rounder Wilden Cornwall, who pocketed five wickets in Jamaica's first innings, led the Leewards batting with a belligerent century (102), which included 13 fours and a six. He was last man out.
Victory chase
When Jamaica began their victory chase, they lost opener Brenton Parchment for a two-ball duck, bowled by Tonge without a run on the board; Donovan Pagon (10), caught by former West Indies Under-19 wicketkeeper Devon Thomas off Tonge; and skipper Lambert (5), also caught by Thomas off Tonge, to be 53 for three at one stage.
Wavell Hinds, who made a 27-ball duck in the first innings, fell for three to be the other batsman out.
"The game is in the balance at the moment. Cornwall and Tonge have put us in a decent position and we plan to fight hard and play positive cricket, as we need to take six wickets at all cost," said the Leewards' captain Steve Liburd.
Guyana chase victory
AT PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Guyana, set 311 runs to beat the Windward Islands, reached 24 without loss at the close of the third day of their eighth-round WICB Regional Four-day match at the National Stadium yesterday.
SCORES:
WINDWARDS 215 (Andre Fletcher 53, Keddy Lesporis 47, Kevin James 31; Veerasammy Permaul 3-58, Chris Barnwell 2-14, Esaun Crandon 2-29, Davendra Bishoo 2-43) and 375-9 declared (Donwell Hector 79 not out; Camilus Alexander 62, Darren Sammy 58, Shane Shillingford 49, Rawl Lewis 36, Keddy Lesporis 28, Johnson Charles 25; Veerasammy Permaul 2-62, Davendra Bishoo 2-73, Esaun Crandon 2-76).
GUYANA 280 (Leon Johnson 73, Travis Dowlin 49, Narsingh Deonarine 41; Deighton Butler 4-46, Nelon Pascal 4-65, Darren Sammy 2-31) and 24-0.
Barbados facing defeat
AT POINTE-A-PIERRE, Trinidad: Barbados, following on 232 runs behind Trinidad and Tobago, reached 165 for four at the close of the third day of their eighth-round WICB Regional four-day match at Guaracara Park yesterday.
SCORES:
T&T 505 (Kieron Pollard 174, Daren Bravo 111, Imran Khan 71 not out, Lendl Simmons 44, Adrian Barath 20; Corey Collymore 4-72, Nekolai Charles 2-99).
BARBADOS 273 (Patrick Browne 72, Dwayne Smith 71, Jason Haynes 45, Kirk Edwards 31; Ravi Rampaul 5-49, Sherwin Ganga 2-4, Magnum Nanan 2-39) and 165-4 (Jason Parris 67, Kevin Stoute 60, Kirk Edwards 20; Ravi Rampaul 2-38).
LEEWARDS 1st Innings 221 (Steve Liburd 116 no; G Wallace 3-49)
JAMAICA 1st Innings 220 (B Parchment 75; W Cornwall 5-37)
LEEWARDS 2nd Innings
(overnight 53 for 2)
M Hodge c wkp Hibbert b Hinds 5
A Richards lbw b Bernard 27
S Jeffers lbw b Wallace 11
W Cornwall b Richardson 102
T Willett lbw b Wallace 7
O Banks c Wallace b Miller 1
S Liburd c Marshall b Brown 27
+D Thomas c Pagon b Miller 5
J Athanaze lbw b Brown 0
A Willet run out (Richardson) 1
G Tonge not out 0
Extras (b9, lb2, w1, nb4) 16
TOTAL (all out, 75 overs) 202
Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-42, 3-88, 4-110, 5-111, 6-167, 7-186, 8-187, 9-197, 10-202.
Bowling: Richardson 3-0-17-1, Bernard 8-3-22-1, Hinds 9-2-35-1, Miller 32-11-34-2, Wallace 12-1-47-2, Brown 12-1-36-2.
JAMAICA 2nd Innings
X Marshall not out 60
B Parchment b Tonge 0
D Pagon c wkp Thomas b Tonge 10
T Lambert c wkpThomas b Tonge 5
W Hinds c Tonge b Banks 3
D Bernard not out 18
Extras (b1, nb1) 2
TOTAL (4 wkts, 34 overs) 98
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-21, 3-41, 4-53.
Bowling: Tonge 11-3-37-3, Cornwall 4-1-12-0, Willett 8-3-19-0, Banks 8-2-14-1, Athanaze 3-1-15-0.
Position: Jamaica require 106 runs to win.
Toss: Jamaica.
Umpires: Leebert Thompson, Peter Nero.