Barbados (502/9) plunder TT bowlers

BRIGETOWN: Set up by a double-century opening partnership between Philo Wallace and Sherwin Campbell, who both hit their first hundreds of the season, championship leaders Barbados took a commanding first innings lead of 355 over second-placed Trinidad and Tobago on the second day of the fifth round Carib Beer Cup Series regional cricket match yesterday.

Resuming on 148 without loss, Barbados declared on 502 for nine off 99 overs at 4.29 pm Wallace topscored with 140 in a shade under four hours, hitting 21 fours and three sixes, while Campbell made 103 in 217 minutes with 10 fours and a six in their stand of 246 in 50.2 overs. All-rounder Dwayne Bravo, bowling medium-pace, took five for 95 off 16 overs. When bad light halted play at 5.57 p.m. with three overs remaining, TT were 47 for one in their second innings — still needing 308 to save an innings defeat with nine wickets standing. Andy Jackson was on 16 after he was dropped — before he had scored — by  Ryan Hurley at backward square-leg off pacer Tino Best, and Bravo was on 25.

Left-hander Imran Jan was leg before wicket on the backfoot by left-arm pacer Ian Bradshaw for one with the score on six. On an easy-paced Kensington Oval pitch, the TT bowlers searched for answers as Wallace and Campbell scored freely. And Daren Ganga’s team did not help their cause by some indifferent ground fielding. It was Wallace’s 11th First-Class century and his eighth at the regional  level, and Campbell’s 24th First-Class and also eighth in regional tournaments. At the start of the day, Wallace was on 75 and Campbell 59 but the latter reached three figures first 68 minutes into the day’s play by pulling a short ball from leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine through mid-on for four. All told, it took 203 minutes off 145 balls and included ten boundaries and a six.

Wallace reached his hundred in the next over with a superb drive to the extra-cover boundary off pacer Ravi Rampaul. It came off 160 deliveries and contained 16 fours and a six. He was dropped on 96 at extra cover by Lincoln Roberts off Rampaul. Campbell eventually slapped Bravo to deep cover where Roberts took the catch with great relief. He faced 150 balls and struck ten fours and a six. Shortly before his dismissal and also on 103, Campbell gave a chance to Bravo off his own bowling from a hard drive.