TT dent Barbados pride

CRAB HILL: Repeat double-crown champions had their pride dented after losing to Trinidad and  Tobago by 48 runs in their second round Carib Beer Series regional cricket  match on the fourth and final day yesterday. Set 257 for victory in 97 overs after Trinidad and Tobago were dismissed for 182 from an overnight 156 for seven, Barbados were bowled out for 208 in 62.1 overs with off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth taking career-best figures of five for 40.

Several of the Barbados batsmen lacked application and their problems were further compounded by the dismissals of two batsmen by the run out route. Both openers Dale Richards and Shawn Graham coincidentally ended at the same crease as the non-striker. Left-hander Martin Nurse topscored with 55 while Dwayne Smith hit 51 off 39 balls with three sixes and three fours before again gifting his wicket to first innings hero and “Man-of-the-Match” Dave Mohammed when he lifted a catch to square. It was the first time in 23 matches dating back to the fourth round of the 2002 Busta Cup championship that Barbados had lost a regional First-Class match. On that occasion, they were also victims of Trinidad and Tobago by four wickets at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain. Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga could not hide his delight at yesterday’s success as he pointed to all-round team effort. “It’s great. It’s great to have this victory. It’s an historic win as it’s the first time Barbados have been beaten outside of Kensington Oval  (in Barbados) so we are quite happy to do that sort of demolition. It was a total team effort and we are happy to come away with full points from this match,” Ganga said.

Soon after the match ended at 3.42 pm, rain swept across the ground for about just over an hour, perhaps leaving the home team wondering what would have happened if they had been able to hold on a little longer. Earlier, fast bowler Jason Bennett bowled both Mohammed and Jaggernauth in the same over but wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin hit a few telling blows as he took his overnight score from 26 to 48 before he was last out, caught on the second attempt at mid-off by Ryan Nurse off pacer Collymore. Martin Nurse and Richards played fairly solidly, apart from a couple loose shots from the former as they added 37 for the first wicket before Richards lost his wicket. He drove Jaggernauth to mid-off and took off for what appeared to be a certain run but Nurse failed to respond after initially starting and Richards was in his face when Lendl Simmons’ throw, though wide, was taken by Ramdin who removed the bails with glee.

Kurt Wilkinson soon edged medium-pacer Richard Kelly to Ramdin for one and Nurse and Campbell took the score to 59 for two at lunch with Nurse on 19 and Campbell 15. Campbell had been dropped on 12, hitting a return to Jaggernauth and was given another life on 23 when Mohammed also failed to hold on to a catch off his own bowling. Jaggernauth, however, had him edging to Ramdin after scoring 29 after a partnership of 56. Martin Nurse took two sixes off successive balls off Mohamed over midwicket and square-leg and with an equally aggressive Smith, put on 43 in 7.3 overs. Then Nurse was leg before wicket as he played around Jaggernauth and shortly afterwards, Graham was run out. He drove to mid-off and took off for a run but Smith stood firm and Sherwin Ganga’s throw to the ’keeper also found him stranded at the non striker’s end.

Smith, who was dropped on 25 at long-on by Simmons off Kelly, quickly brought up his half-century in an eventful over from Mohammed when he took 12 runs before losing his wicket. By tea the score was 181 for seven and although wicket-keeper Patrick Browne played fairly confidently for 28 and Ryan Nurse looked composed, Jaggernauth removed both. Nurse was give out caught off bat and pad at silly point and Browne lofted a catch to long-off before Collymore swung a catch to deep forward square-leg for Mohammed to gleefully take the catch.