BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Hosts and table leaders Guyana Harpy Eagles fought back after burly Leeward Islands Hurricanes off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall ripped the heart out of their batting and became the first bowler to pass 30 wickets for the season in the West Indies Championship on Wednesday.
Barbados Pride pacer Akeem Jordan defied half-centuries from Alick Athanaze and Barbadian wicketkeeper-batsman Tevyn Walcott and had the best bowling performance on the first day of the fifth round of matches, ending with a career-best spell against Windward Islands Volcanoes in Trinidad.
At the same time, lower-order batsman Terrance Hinds had the best batting performance, coming close to a second first-class hundred and leading a lower-order revival before hosts Trinidad & Tobago Red Force were bowled out in the final half-hour before the scheduled close against Jamaica Scorpions.
AT THE BRIAN LARA CRICKET ACADEMY: Hinds batted for 2-3/4 hours and rescued Red Force with a top score of 94, and international Anderson Phillip supported with 63 in a rearguard before the home team were bowled out for 302 in their first innings a little before the scheduled close.
Derval Green was the most successful bowler for the Scorpion with three for 56 from 15 overs, and fellow pacers Marquino Mindley and Ojay Shields, as well as left-arm spinner Jeavor Royal, finished with two wickets apiece.
Scorpions were five for one in reply after Phillip got opener Tevin Gilzene bowled for one, playing on a short, rising penultimate ball of the day to signal to close of play for the day.
Red Force were 41 for four in the second hour of the day after they decided to bat before a stand of 71 on either side of lunch between West Indies Test wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva and Tion Webster stabilised the innings.
Da Silva made 39 and Webster got 30, but they were two of three wickets that tumbled in the space of 20 balls and had Red Force reeling on 119 for seven before Hinds took matters into his hands.
He added 66 for the eighth wicket with Bryan Charles and further frustrated the Scorpions with a stand of 100 for the ninth wicket with Phillip before he was lbw to Shields, and Royal bowled West Indies pacer Shannon Gabriel to bring the curtain down on the innings.
AT THE GUYANA NATIONAL STADIUM: Experienced left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul grabbed two for 31 from 12 overs, and spin the eternal bane of the Hurricanes reducing the visitors to 133 for five, replying to the Harpy Eagles first innings total of 122, at the close.
Discarded West Indies opener Kieran Powell has so far led the way for the visitors with 39, Hurricanes captain Jahmar Hamilton was not out on 35, and 2016 Under-19 World Cup-winner Keacy Carty made 23.
Powell and Carty shared 73 for the second wicket after pacer Niall Smith made an early breakthrough for Harpy Eagles when he got debutant opener Larry Audian lbw for a duck.
The trouble for the visitors started once Harpy Eagles captain Leon Johnson turned to the spinners with Kevin Sinclair and left-arm spinner Antony Adams leaving their imprint.
Cornwall had earlier snared four for 27 from 17 overs, carrying his haul of wickets for the season to 31, and the Harpy Eagles were bowled out for 122 in their first innings after they won the toss and decided to bat.
Cornwall, playing his 57th match in the Championship for the Hurricanes, now has 285 wickets at 21.70 runs apiece since his debut nine years ago against Scorpions at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
It makes him the seventh most successful bowler in the modern era (1966 onwards) of the Championship, moving past Barbadian left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.
Opener Matthew Nandu led the way for Harpy Eagles with 22 and shared a steady 32 with West Indies Test opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, but he was the only batsman that reached 20 before the home team were bowled out about an hour and 10 minutes after lunch, failing to gain a batting bonus point.
Colin Archibald ended with two for 27 from 9.1 overs, and fellow left-arm pacer Javier Spencer took two for 35 from 11 overs, and Hurricanes gained all three bowling points and one pace bowling point to condemn the Harpy Eagles – destined to be this year’s champions – to easily their worst day of the season.
AT QUEEN’S PARK OVAL: Athanaze hit the top score of 59 and became the first batsman to cross 600 for the season, Walcott made 55, and Ryan John added 41 before the Volcanoes were bowled out for 237 in their first innings about 50 minutes before the scheduled close, narrowly missing out on two batting bonus points.
Jordan bagged five for 44 from 16 overs to lead the demolition, all-rounder Roshon Primus supported with two for 44 from 11 overs, and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican took two for 57 from 19.5 overs, and Pride, aiming to beat Volcanoes and claim second, got all three bowling bonus points and 1.6 pace bowling points.
Pride started strongly and reached 48 without loss when stumps were drawn with Zackary McCaskie not out on 26 and left-handed fellow opener Shayne Moseley not out on 21.
Jordan struck twice in the first half-hour, and Volcanoes slumped to 17 for three after they won the toss and decided to bat, but Athanaze shared 47 with Sunil Ambris and 98 with Walcott to take them to 162 for five.
Walcott was lbw to Jordan about 40 minutes before tea, triggering a slide in which four wickets – three to the pacer – fell for 21 in the span of 33 balls, and the Volcanoes stumbled to 184 for eight at the break.
John returned after tea and coaxed his side past 200 with some resolute batting before Warrican bowled him to bring the innings to a close.
YESTERDAY'S SCORES
At Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, T&T
WINDWARD ISLANDS VOLCANOES 237 (Alick Athanaze 59, Tevyn Walcott 55, Ryan John 41, Sunil Ambris 28; Akeem Jordan 16-4-44-5, Roshon Primus 2-44, Jomel Warrican 2-57).
BARBADOS PRIDE 48 without loss (Zachary McCaskie 26 not out, Shayne Moseley 21 not out)
At the Guyana National Stadium in Providence, Guyana
GUYANA HARPY EAGLES 122 (Matthew Nandu 22; Rahkeem Cornwall 4-27, Colin Archibald 2-27, Javier Spencer 2-35).
LEEWARD ISLANDS HURRICANES 133 for five (Kieran Powell 39, Jahmar Hamilton 35 not out, Keacy Carty 23; Veerasammy Permaul 2-31).
At the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, T&T
T&T RED FORCE 302 (Terrance Hinds 94, Anderson Phillip 63, Joshua Da Silva 39, Tion Webster 30; Derval Green 3-56, Marquino Mindley 2-56, Jeavor Royal 2-60, Ojay Shields 2-72) vs JAMAICA SCORPIONS five for one.
(CMC)
