Bravo puts Red Force in charge
A masterly hundred from Darren Bravo put Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in a superior position against Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the West Indies Championship on Friday.
The West Indies left-hander stroked 133 – his third and career-best Championship hundred – to propel hosts Red Force to a first innings lead so far of 146 against Hurricanes on the second day of second round matches.
In the main act, Jonathan Carter, another international left-hander, was not out on 61 and anchored home team Barbados Pride to a first innings lead so far of 30 against five-time defending champions and current leaders Guyana Jaguars.
And, half-centuries from Paul Palmer Jr and Derval Green offered Jamaica Scorpions a lifeline, but the hosts ended the day still needing 35 to avoid the follow-on against Windward Islands Volcanoes.
Volcanoes (387) vs Scorpions 203-7 at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica
Pacers Josh Thomas and Sherman Lewis took two wickets apiece for Volcanoes to put Scorpions under early pressure on 57 for four.
Palmer, however, started the fight-back for the Scorpions with 54 and dominated a fifth-wicket stand of 60 with Aldaine Thomas.
When Thomas and Palmer fell in successive overs, Scorpions were 118 for six, but Green extended the life of the innings with an unbeaten 50.
He shared 41 for the seventh wicket with Jamie Merchant and added 44 – unbroken – for the eighth wicket with Marquino Mindley inside the final hour to take the Scorpions through to the close and the hope of longevity into the third day on Saturday.
Earlier, Volcanoes lost their last five wickets for 55 in the space of 56 balls – either bowled or lbw – after resuming from their overnight total of 314 for five.
Former West Indies Under-19 captain Emmanuel Stewart added four to his overnight score and completed a 90-run, sixth-wicket stand with overnight partner Keron Cottoy before being dismissed for exactly 50 for the second time this season.
Cottoy added 18 to his overnight score before he fell for 47, Shane Shillingford got 27 and Lewis added 20 to extend the Volcanoes first innings.
Patrick Harty Jr finished with 3-65 from 19.3 overs for the Scorpions, Green took 3-73 from 26 overs, and Mindley and Nicholson Gordon took two wickets apiece.
Jaguars (209) vs Pride 239-3 at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados
Carter shared a string of tidy partnerships, culminating in an unbroken stand of 65 with fellow left-hander Kyle Mayers, to lead strong top-order batting and give the Pride a narrow edge.
Mayers was not out on 36, fellow left-hander Shayne Moseley retired hurt on 46, Pride captain and West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite scored 40 and West Indies teammate Shane Dowrich added 25.
Moseley and Brathwaite gave Pride a sound platform, sharing 69 for the first wicket either side of lunch.
After the interval, Nial Smith got the breakthrough for Jaguars, when he had Brathwaite caught at gully, fending a rising delivery.
Raymon Reifer followed up with the scalp of West Indies batsman Shamarh Brooks caught at second slip for 10 in the final hour before tea, which arrived with the Pride on 132 for two.
After tea, Moseley retired hurt early with cramps in his left-arm and Dowrich came to the crease and put on 41 with Carter before he was caught at square cover from a leading edge off left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul.
But Mayers arrived and batted almost 1-1/2 hours with Carter before the close, surviving a late burst from Smith and Christopher Barnwell armed with the second new ball, to keep the visitors’ attack at bay.
Earlier, Jaguars were bowled out inside the first half-hour without addition to their overnight total of 209 for eight.
Chemar Holder grabbed the last two scalps of Smith for 17 and Keon Joseph for a duck in successive overs to end with 2-39 from 16.1 overs.
It meant opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, son of former West Indies left-hander and current Jaguars assistant coach Shivnarine Chanderpaul, carried his bat for an unbeaten 66 which included eight fours from 280 balls in almost 400 minutes.
Hurricanes (186) vs Red Force 337-4 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad
Bravo added 75 for the second wicket with Keagan Simmons and 160 for the third wicket with Jason Mohammed, after Red Force resumed from their overnight total of 74 for one and kept the Hurricanes in the field all day.
Simmons, a former West Indies Under-19 opener, scored 36 and Mohammed, a former Red Force captain, made 66.
Pacer Sheeno Berridge ended the day with 3-63 from 20 overs and made a couple breakthroughs – including the scalp of Bravo lbw – to ease the grind on the Hurricanes.
But an unbroken stand of 65 between Joshua da Silva, not out on 50, and Yannic Cariah, not out on 27, further frustrated the Hurricanes and gave Red Force a firm hold on the game.
MATCH RESULTS
Round 1
January 9 to 12
Hurricanes lost to Jaguars by 10 wickets – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua
Red Force drew with Scorpions – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
Volcanoes beat Pride by 3 wickets – Arnos Vale Cricket Ground, St. Vincent
MATCH SCHEDULE
(All matches start at 10 am daily, except where indicated)
Round 2
January 16 to 19
Scorpions vs Volcanoes – Sabina Park, Jamaica
Pride vs Jaguars – Kensington Oval, Barbados
Red Force vs Hurricanes – Brian Lara Cricket Academy
Round 3
January 23 to 26
Jaguars vs Red Force – Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
Scorpions vs Pride – Sabina Park
Volcanoes vs Hurricanes – Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia (2 pm daily)
***BREAK***
Round 4
February 6 to 9
Jaguars vs Scorpions – Guyana National Stadium
Hurricanes vs Pride – Warner Park, St. Kitts
Volcanoes vs Red Force – Windsor Park, Dominica
Round 5
February 13 to 16
Scorpions vs Hurricanes – Trelawny Multipurpose Complex, Jamaica
Pride vs Red Force – Kensington Oval
Volcanoes vs Jaguars – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
***BREAK***
Round 6
February 27 to March 1
Scorpions vs Jaguars – Trelawny Multipurpose Complex, Jamaica
Pride vs Volcanoes – Kensington Oval
Hurricanes vs Red Force – Warner Park
Round 7
March 5 to 8
Red Force vs Pride – Brian Lara Cricket Academy
Volcanoes vs Scorpions – Grenada National Stadium
Jaguars vs Hurricanes – Guyana National Stadium
Round 8
March 12 to 15
Red Force vs Volcanoes – Brian Lara Cricket Academy (2 pm daily)
Hurricanes vs Scorpions – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground
Jaguars vs Pride – Guyana National Stadium (2 pm daily
***BREAK***
Round 9
March 26 to 29
Pride vs Scorpions – Kensington Oval (2 pm daily)
Hurricanes vs Volcanoes – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground
Red Force vs Jaguars – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
Round 10
April 2 to 5
Jaguars vs Volcanoes – Guyana National Stadium
Scorpions vs Red Force – Sabina Park (2 pm daily)
Pride vs Hurricanes – Kensington Oval