Red Force clinch victory
Brandon King slammed a second first-class hundred, but it failed to ignite the Jamaica Scorpions second innings batting, and Trinidad & Tobago Red Force completed a season sweep over them to bring the curtain down on the 2018-19 West Indies Championship with an 85-run victory on Sunday here.
King lit up an otherwise mundane final day of the rescheduled first round match at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy with an impressive 133, but the Scorpions, chasing 338 for victory, were bowled out for 252 in their second innings inside the first hour after tea.
King struck 18 fours and four sixes from 119 balls in three hours at the crease and was one of only two Scorpions batsmen to pass 20, as he dominated half-century stands with his captain Paul Palmer and Kennar Lewis which brought some respectability to the batting.
Rookie Windies opener John Campbell made 25, but King held the innings together, as he put on 75 for the fifth wicket Lewis and 57 for the seventh wicket with Lewis before he fell to veteran leg-spinner Imran Khan, whose 3-48 from 13 overs made him the pick of the Red Force bowlers.
Familiarity bred success for Jamaica-born, Red Force fast-medium bowler Odean Smith, as he supported Khan in the demolition of the Scorpions’ batting with 3-56 from 15 overs.
The result meant that Red Force gained 21.8 points to end in fourth place in the Championship on 112.4 and Scorpions collected 8.6 to finish fifth on 97.2.
Earlier, starting the day on 282 for nine, Red Force were bowled out inside the first half-hour for 295 in their second innings.
Windies international Jason Mohammed remained not out on 110, but Windies strike bowler Shannon Gabriel, his overnight partner, gave a return catch to Scorpions first innings bowling hero Nicholson Gordon to bring the innings to a close, after they frustrated the visitors by extending their last wicket stand to 38.
Gordon ended with 2-55 from 14.4 overs to follow his first innings seven-wicket haul, but Mohammed pipped him for the Player-of-the-Match prize.
RESULTS OF MATCHES
ROUND 1
Thursday, December 6 to Sunday, December 9
Volcanoes lost to Jaguars by 125 runs – Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia
Pride lost to Hurricanes by 34 runs – Three Ws Oval, Barbados
Thursday, March 14 to Sunday, March 17
Red Force beat Scorpions by 85 runs – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
ROUND 2
Thursday, December 13 to Sunday, December 16
Pride beat Scorpions by 41 runs – Three Ws Oval
Hurricanes lost to Jaguars by 9 wickets – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua
Red Force lost to Volcanoes by 76 runs – Brian Lara Cricket Academy
ROUND 3
Friday, January 4 to Monday, January 7
Scorpions lost to Volcanoes by 5 wickets – Sabina Park, Jamaica
Red Force lost to Hurricanes by 245 runs – Brian Lara Cricket Academy
Pride lost to Jaguars by 6 wickets – Kensington Oval, Barbados
ROUND 4
Thursday, January 10 to Sunday, January 13
Scorpions lost to Red Force by 157 runs – Sabina Park
Jaguars beat Volcanoes by 8 wickets – Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
Thursday, March 14 to Sunday, March 17
Hurricanes lost to Pride by an innings and 18 runs – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground
ROUND 5
Thursday, January 17 to Sunday, January 20
Jaguars lost to Hurricanes by 2 wickets – Guyana National Stadium
Red Force lost to Pride by 7 wickets – Brian Lara Cricket Academy
Volcanoes lost to Scorpions by 4 wickets – National Cricket Stadium, Grenada
ROUND 6
Thursday, January 31 to Sunday, February 3
Hurricanes lost to Scorpions by 1 wicket – Warner Park, St. Kitts
Red Force beat Jaguars by 93 runs – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
Pride lost Volcanoes by 8 wickets – Kensington Oval
ROUND 7
Thursday, February 7 to Sunday, February 10
Jaguars beat Scorpions by 7 wickets – Guyana National Stadium
Pride beat Red Force by 4 wickets – Kensington Oval
Volcanoes lost to Hurricanes by 12 runs – Windsor Park, Dominica
ROUND 8
Thursday, February 21 to Sunday, February 24
Hurricanes drew with Red Force – Warner Park
Scorpions beat Jaguars by 8 wickets – Sabina Park
Volcanoes lost Pride by 23 runs – Arnos Vale Sports Complex, St. Vincent
ROUND 9
Thursday, February 28 to Sunday, March 3
Scorpions lost to Hurricanes by 134 runs – Sabina Park
Jaguars beat Pride by 7 wickets – Guyana National Stadium
Volcanoes lost to Red Force by 190 runs – Arnos Vale Sports Complex
ROUND 10
Thursday, March 7 to Sunday, March 10
Scorpions lost to Pride by 2 wickets – Sabina Park
Jaguars beat Red Force by 6 wickets – Guyana National Stadium
Hurricanes beat Volcanoes by 6 wickets – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground