Barbados and Leeward Islands are set in a keen battle at the end of day one in the West Indies Rising Stars Men’s U19 2-Day Competition.
After winning the toss, captain Nathan Sealy asked the Leewards boys to have first bat at the Arnos Vale playing field in, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Fast bowler Jarario Prescod got the ball rolling as he captured the early wickets of Brent Joseph and Michael Palmer making the score 21/2, captain Sealy introduced himself into the lineup first change and was able to pick up the third wicket with the score on 25, Devanand Singh out for 4 runs after facing 41 balls.
Leewards skipper, West Indies U19 star batter, Jewel Andrew and T’yanick Honore were looking to rebuild the innings and were on a 24 run partnership as Zishan Motara picked up the attack with his leg spin. Motara who was celebrating his 18th birthday got Andrew with a magnificent reflex catch at slip by Joshua Dorne for 14, next up he was able to get the wicket of Nathan Edward on the first ball caught by Zion Brathwaite at square leg, looking for a birthday hat-trick he trapped Carlton Pluck LBW with a googly as the team celebrated 3 wickets in 3 balls and the score being 49/6.
Prescod was back into the lineup after the lunch interval and managed to get his third wicket on the day with Honore caught by the wicket keeper Joshua Morris and the score now being 69/7.
Sealy cleaned up the innings, bowling out the Leewards team for 90 runs, as he finished with 3/20.
Motara ended with 3/20 and Prescod 3/23.
Barbados opening batter Achilles Browne was out the first ball he faced with the score on 2 while his partner Kyle Jordan lost his wicket for only 2 runs making the score 4/2.
Joshua Dorne was the next to go as he was out caught by wicket keeper Andrew for 5, giving fast bowler Michael Palmer his third wicket.
Zion Brathwaite and Joshua Morris were able to steady the ship with a partnership of 43, then came leg spinner Micah McKenzie, capturing the wickets of both batters with the scores on 64 and 65.
Sealy was next out for one run with the score on 68/6, the game now leaning in the balance as both teams knowing the importance of first innings lead and bonus points.
McKenzie then produced a superb spell as he ripped through the Barbados lower order batting line-up, taking the wickets of Micah Greenidge and Zishan Motara both for 2 runs, Raneico Smith for 0 and Jatario Prescod for 8 as Barbados were bowled out for 81.
Leewards were able to capture first innings points along with a lead of 9 runs.
At the end of the day’s play, batting for a second time, Leewards are 17/2 with an overall lead of 26 runs with 8 wickets in hand. Smith and Sealy, having a wicket each.
Both teams will be looking forward to an exciting day 2 as Barbados must now try to force a victory to keep their hopes alive in reaching the finals of the 2-day competition.
In other scores after day 1, series 2:
Toss: Trinidad and Tobago
Jamaica 169/9 declared
Trinidad and Tobago 171/7
Trinidad and Tobago lead Jamaica by two runs with three wickets in hand.
Toss: Windward Islands
Guyana 142 all out
Windward Islands 109/4
Winward trail Guyana by 33 runs with 6 wickets in hand.
(ZM)
