ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – On Wednesday, a destructive spell from Anderson Phillip and solid top-order batting gave Trinidad & Tobago Red Force the upper hand against leaders Windward Islands Volcanoes in the West Indies Championship.
The 27-year-old discarded West Indies pacer returned the best bowling performance on the first day of the fourth round of matches, taking five for 37 from 13 overs. The Volcanoes were bowled out for 191 in their first innings after they were put into bat.
West Indies left-hander Alick Athanaze hit the top score of 56 for the visitors, long-serving batsman Sunil Ambris made 35, West Indies batsman Kavem Hodge got 28, and Barbadian wicketkeeper-batsman Tevyn Walcott supported with the same score.
Long-standing opener Kjorn Ottley then made 47 and shared a first wicket stand of 87 with Vikash Mohan before falling in the closing stages, and Red Force reached 89 for one when stumps were drawn at Queen’s Park Oval in the T&T capital of Port of Spain.
At the crease, Ottley struck seven fours from 74 balls in a little more than an hour-and-a-half before 2016 Under-19 World Cup-winning all-rounder Shamar Springer got him caught at mid-off from a leading edge, essaying a whip.
Mohan remained not out on 34 at the close, and Jyd Goolie was not on one.
Elsewhere, half-centuries from their previous captain, Kevlon Anderson, and his successor, Tevin Imlach, enabled defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles to bat all day against Barbados Pride in the renewal of the oldest rivalry in the West Indies first-class game at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
Anderson rekindled fond memories of his maiden first-class hundred for the Cricket West Indies Academy in the Headley-Weekes Tri-Series last year at the same venue with a resolute 87. Imlach supported with 55, and the Harpy Eagles reached 231 for four in their first innings at the close after they were put into bat.
West Indies opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, son of former Guyana and West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, made 40, and former West Indies Under-19 opener Matthew Nandu added 28.
Former West Indies captain Jason Holder, playing his first match for the Pride in the tournament for four years, ended with two for 29 from 15.2 overs, including the scalp of Kemol Savory with the eventual last delivery of the day.
Second-placed Leeward Islands Hurricanes suffered a significant setback early after hosts Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners decided to bat and were bowled out for 253 in their first innings at Frank Worrell Field on the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad.
In his second over and third of the innings, left-arm pacer Jediah Blades bowled opener Mikyle Louis, the linchpin of the Hurricanes batting this season, for four, and the visitors closed on 20 for one.
Three of the Marooner’s batters got half-centuries to defy penetrative bowling from the Hurricanes led by left-arm spinner Daniel Doram.
Amari Goodridge, batting at nine, scored the top score of 75; Sadique Henry, batting at three, made 73; and off-spinner Romario Greaves supported with 58.
Doram ended with four for 37 from 21.2 overs, pacer Jeremiah Louis bagged three for 54 from 14 overs, and Hurricanes captain and champion off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall grabbed three for 86 from 18 overs.
West Indies Under-19 batsman Joshua Dorne redeemed himself with a fluent 83, hometown boy Jordan Johnson made 61, and opener Kadeem Alleyne hit 51 before the CWI Academy were bowled out for 324 in their first innings, after hosts Jamaica Scorpions put them in to bat in the other match at Sabina Park.
The three half-centuries marked solid batting down the order that also included knocks of 36 from Joshua James, 25 from left-handed opener Rashawn Worrell, and 24 from West Indies Under-19 wicketkeeper-batsman Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, son of former Hurricanes and West Indies all-rounder, now umpire, Carl Tuckett.
Ojay Shields was the pick of the Scorpions bowlers with three for 38 from 12 overs, fellow pacer Derval Green supported with three for 48 from 13 overs, and leg-spinner Abhijai Mansingh, son of CWI director and chief medical officer, Dr Akshai Mansingh, finished with two for 69 from 17 overs.
Scorpions were 20 without loss when stumps were drawn.
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