Trinidad & Tobago failed in their bid for victory, when Dale Richards hit his third first-class hundred to help Barbados earn a draw in the WICB regional four-day competition yesterday. T&T set Barbados 278 for victory, and Richards made 113 to carry the hosts to 197 for four in their second innings before the two teams decided it was pointless to continue with five overs remaining on the fourth and final day of the first round match at the Police Sports Club. Richards reached his landmark when he drove off-spin bowler Sherwin Ganga through cover for a single, but he, as well as left-handers Ryan Hinds and Jonathan Carter were dismissed in the final hour-and-a-half before the hosts gave up the chase. Half-centuries from Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons had lifted T&T to 212 for three in their second innings before the visitors declared about half-hour before lunch.
Barath hit the top score of 79 and Simmons supported with 74. They added 59 for the second wicket before Simmons and T&T captain Daren Ganga put on another 48 for the third wicket to hasten the declaration. T&T were then put on the defensive, after Barbados resumed from their lunchtime total of ten without loss. The visitors were put under pressure after the interval, when Richards batted with his usual enterprise and shared 64 for the first wicket with left-hander opener Jason Haynes, the Barbados captain. But T&T made the breakthrough on the stroke of the drinks break, when Haynes was caught at slip off Amit Jaggernauth from a sweep that ricocheted from the back of the bat. He faced 72 balls in 79 minutes for a painstaking eight.
T&T had two chances to remove Hinds before tea. When he was six, Richard Kelly put him down at slip off Dave Mohammed, and when he was 13, Lendl Simmons dropped him at mid-on off Sherwin Ganga–a miss which many observers may have cost the two-island republic's side the victory. T&T then saw Richards reach his 50, when he drove his 65th delivery from Kelly through cover for two, as he and Hinds carried Barbados to 117 for one at tea.
After the break, T&T continued to hunt wickets, but Richards inched his way to his landmark, and Hinds held firm. T&T made sure Richards endured the nervous 90s before he reached his milestone. The Barbados opener and Hinds were just about to jump-start Barbados' chase, when he tried to clear long-on and was caught at mid-wicket off Sherwin Ganga. Next over, Dave Mohammed had Hinds stumped for 43 when the left-hander jumped down the pitch and tried to loft a delivery over long-on to leave Barbados 165 for four.
T&T then got another breakthrough, just when it appeared Barbados was prepared to make a late charge.
Mohammed had left-hander Jonathan Carter caught at deep mid wicket for five to effectively end Barbados' chase. Earlier, T&T resumed on 120 for one, and immediately signalled intentions, when Barath and Simmons chased quick runs. But Barath bowled off the inside edge playing defensively forward to Benn, and T&T continued to score freely before Simmons was bowled trying to cut a delivery from Hinds bowling his modest left-arm spin. T&T earned six points from their first innings lead and Barbados had to settle for three. T&T will host Jamaica in the second round starting on Friday at Queen's Park Oval, and Barbados travel to Grenada to face Windward Islands on the same day at Progress Park in the rural village of Grenville.
ds 4, Barbados 3, Guyana 0, CCC 0.
