Tadpole spins TT to record win

The victory was TT’s largest in the history of regional First-Class cricket, surpassing the 264-run triumph over Guyana at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre in 1986.

The die was cast when the Jamaicans, set an improbable 372 to win after Trinidad and Tobago declared on their overnight second innings score of 178 for seven, were on the ropes at 24 for four wickets midway into the first session of play.

Ex-West Indies wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh offered brief resistance with a quickfire 39 but his team, already under pressure following pacer Rayad Emrit’s early spell of three wickets for 13 in ten overs, crumbled against the combined spin of Dave Mohammed (five for 41) and debutant leg-spinner Sanjiv Gooljar (two wickets for eight runs), and they were routed for 89 in 38.2 overs. Jamaican captain Wavell Hinds, touted as a future WI skipper, did little to enhance his claims with a double failure.

Before fans could settle at the University of the West Indies venue yesterday morning, Hinds was on his way back to the pavilion for four, bowled behind his back by Emrit with the score on seven.

Emrit was visibly upset after dropping a return catch from Marlon Samuels when the West Indies batsman was on two, but the pacer made amends nine runs later (with the score on 22), rocking back Samuels’ middle stump for ten.

Tamar Lambert followed in similar fashion, for a fourth-ball duck, when the scoreboard was on 24 while opener Brenton Parchment (eight), like Samuels and Lambert, essayed a lazy drive at Dave Mohammed and found his namesake Jason Mohammed at mid-off.

Jamaica lost their fifth wicket at 49 — Dave Bernard was ruled leg-before for two, padding up to Mohammed (D) — and, in the first over after lunch, were six down for 59 when Gareth Breese hit the left-arm spinner straight to Mohammed (J) at mid-off for a duck.

Baugh chanced his arms at Mohammed, lofting two sixes over long-off, but his strength proved to be his downfall as, with the scoreboard on 76, he skied "Tadpole" to substitute Sherwin Ganga at midwicket.

On 82, Gooljar took two wickets in consecutive deliveries — bowling Jerome Taylor as the tail-ender attempted a heave to the heavens, and trapping Jermaine Lawson plumb in front.

But Mohammed completed the win at 1.35 pm, moments before a sharp shower on the ground, as Andrew Richardson nudged a straight ball to Tishan Maraj at silly-point.