TT bring J’ca back to earth

DESPITE a brilliant century by Carlton Baugh (152) and solid support from Donovan Pagon (77), Trinidad and Tobago romped to a convincing 70-run victory yesterday over Carib Beer Cricket Series front-runners Jamaica in their eighth round match at Shaw Park, Tobago. Jamaica were set a victory target of 360 after TT declared at their overnight total of 392 for nine wickets. But after the shock loss of five frontline batsmen for only 47 runs on the scoreboard, Jamaica rallied through the efforts of Pagon and Baugh who raised hopes for an unlikely Jamaica victory. They featured a 152-run face-saving sixth partnership which prevented their team’s total embarrassment. But they could not stop the inevitable as Daren Ganga’s cricketers kept alive their chances of a place in the Carib Beer Challenge Trophy final which will feature the two top teams from this ten-round league competition.

Jamaica collected four points for their first innings lead and took their overall tally to 71 while TT closed the gap with the outright win worth 12 points moving to 48 points. The bowling heroes were right-arm medium pacer Richard Kelly who fired out three batsmen for 24 off eight overs and left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed who captured four wickets for 55 runs off 16.4 overs. Kelly’s telling spell of swing bowling accounted for promising opener Xavier Marshall who was adjudged leg before wicket for 15; Brendon Parchment who registered the dreaded pair of ducks and Tamar Lambert, LBW for five. However, it was fast bowler Mervyn Dillon who started the demolition job by removing Jamaica’s captain Wavell Hinds who offered Lendl Simmons a catch at second slip with the score at five. Kelly trapped Marshall with one that kept low while Parchment was culpably struck playing across the line. Kelly had picked two wickets in the same over but was guilty of letting off  Baugh on ten and the score at 62 for five.

He got both hands to the lofted drive off Mohammed, but was unable to hold on as the ball went through his grasp and beyond the boundary. His partner Pagon was the beneficiary also of an early let off by Amit Jaggernauth at first slip off the bowling of Dillon. Pagon had not opened his account and the score was 14 for one at that stage. Those catches cost TT as both Pagon and the pugnacious Baugh blossomed with rasping cuts, pulls and drives. They forced skipper Ganga to rotate his bowlers and even switch from an attacking mode to defensive tactics at times, hoping to frustrate the talented Jamaican pair. But all efforts proved futile as the Jamaicans went to lunch at 94 for five off 26 overs. The classy Pagon raced to his half-century in 138 minutes with three sixes and three fours off 93 balls.

He survived another chance at 62 and when Lendl Simmons dropped him off the bowling of off-spinner Jaggernauth. The score had reached 177 for five wickets. However, Jaggernauth gained revenge when Pagon’s lofted drive was smartly taken by Simmons who dived forward. Baugh raced to his second century for the season with five sixes and seven fours off 165 balls. His first 50 was brought up in 69 minutes off 47 balls and was studded with two sixes and four fours.He was on an even 100 when tea was taken and the score 219 for six wickets. On resumption the diminutive Baugh lost Darren Powell, Nikita Miller and Jerome Taylor (c Simmons 9) to the wiles of Mohammed.

Baugh prospered and eventually reached 152, his fourth regional ton and his highest regional score, before becoming the final wicket to fall at 289. He also became the final victim of Mohammed who, in his return match, finished the four wickets in the innings and a match haul of 8 for 121 (four for 66 and four for 55). Baugh’s innings lasted 280 minutes and he registered six sixes and 12 fours off 206 balls. But the honour of “Man of the Match”, decided by match adjudicator Salandy Sobers, went to TTs right-handed opener Lendl Simmons for his magnificent 200 in the second innings. TT next play the Leeward Islands in Montserrat starting on Friday.