PRIDE ON TOP

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican struck twice in the final hour and followed up a solid 72 from Jonathan Drakes that enabled Barbados Pride to hold the advantage against hosts and arch-rivals Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in the West Indies Championship.

Warrican ended the day with two for 19 from 12 overs, and Red Force were 100 for three in their second innings, still seven runs behind, when stumps were drawn at Queen’s Park Oval.

Opener Kjorn Ottley has so far led the way with 39, and first innings batting hero Amir Jangoo was not out on 30.

Earlier, Drakes anchored the Pride batting after they continued from their overnight total of 99 for four, sharing successive half-century stands with Kevin Wickham and club mate Jason Holder that carried the visitors past 250 before he was dismissed.

Wickham and Holder made 34 each, and retired West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich made 40 before Barbados lost their last four wickets for 14 runs in the span of 28 balls, and were bowled out about 45 minutes before tea.

Over at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, batsmen Tevin Imlach and Tagenarine Chanderpaul followed up a destructive spell from pacer Isai Thorne to spur defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles to a sizeable lead against tournament leaders Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Imlach, the Harpy Eagles captain, was not out on 88, and Chanderpaul was not out on 78, as Harpy Eagles reached 168 for one in their second innings, an overall lead of 363.

Thorne, a member of the West Indies Under-19 side that reached the quarterfinals in this year’s ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, bagged four for 38 from 11 overs, and Volcanoes were bowled out for 113 to concede a first innings lead of 195.

All-rounder Ronaldo Alimohamed supported with three for 30 from seven overs, and West Indies left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie snared two for 12 from 3.5 overs to complete the demolition of the Volcanoes batting after they continued from their overnight total of 12 without loss.

Elsewhere, second-placed Leeward Islands Hurricanes fought back against hosts Jamaica Scorpions after off-spinners Peat Salmon and Ramaal Lewis shared nine wickets and restricted them to a narrow first innings lead.

Salmon snatched five for 50 from 23 overs, and Lewis, a former West Indies Under-19 captain, collected four for 80 from 17.3 overs, and Hurricanes were bowled out for 231 in their first innings with a lead of only 10.

Pacer Jeremiah Louis then finished the day with two for 11 from six overs, including the prized scalp of discarded West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood, and the Scorpions were wobbling on 59 for four in their second innings at the close with a lead of 49.

Scorpions had started the day on 173 for six in their first innings, and they were bowled out for 221 about half-hour after the scheduled start with opener Carlos Brown topscoring with 80 and Derval Green made 20.

Hurricanes’ captain and champion off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall and left-arm spinner Daniel Doram equally shared the last four Scorpions wickets that fell for 47. (CMC)