TT take upper hand against Leeward Islands

CHARLOTTE AMALIE: Trinidad and Tobago were heading for a first-innings lead against the Leeward Islands, as the Trinidadians totalled 303 yesterday in the seventh-round Carib Beer Series regional cricket tournament match. The Leewards ended the first day of play chasing the Trinidadians with 89 for four wickets in the match at the Cancryn Cricket Ground in the US territory’s capital of Charlotte Amalie.

The two teams are battling to be one of the four teams in the semi-final later this month. So far, TT are placed fifth, while the Leeward Islands are fourth. World batting record holder, Brian Lara was one of three  players who made significant contributions to their team’s total. The others were Jackson 51, and Dwayne Bravo 56. The pick of the Leewards’ bowlers was Kerry Jeremy, who claimed five for 55. At lunch TT were 122 for two wickets, after openers Imran Jan and Andy Jackson scored 62 for the first wicket. Skipper Daren Ganga replaced Jackson, and with Jan batted until three minutes before lunch when Jan was caught brilliantly by Sandford off the bowling of Jeremy for 27.

After lunch, Ganga and Jan batted until skipper Ganga flashed a ball outside his off stump and was caught at second slip off the bowling of Gavin Tongue for a well made 41. The score was then 149. This brought in Lara, for whom the crowd gave a standing ovation. He immediately started to attack the Leewards’ bowling, scoring his first 32 runs in even time. TT’s first 200 runs came up in 185 minutes, and Lara and Bravo seemed set for a big partnership until Bravo was caught by wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs off the bowling of Sandford for 56. The score was 236.

The next batsman, Zaheer Ali, was adjudged leg before off the first ball, bringing out Lendl Simmons to bat. But at the last ball before tea, Lara was caught by the wicket-keeper off the bowling of Jeremy for a well made 53. He struck seven boundaries before tea was called with the score on 244 for 6. Shortly after the resumption Simmons was adjudged leg-before-wicket for two off the bowling of Jeremy. The score was then 249. Mervyn Dillon, another West Indies player, then joined Simmons until the score was at 286 and Dillon was bowled by Jeremy for 13. Incoming batsman Marlon Black did not last long, adjudged leg-before-wicket off Tongue’s bowling when the score was 303, the last wicket to fall.