PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Opener Anthony Alleyne blasted a boundary-studded, maiden, first class hundred here yesterday to install Barbados Pride as heavy favourites to win their Regional Four-Day second-round contest against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force.
The 23-year-old left-handed carved out a brilliant 186 to fall just short of a double- hundred as the visitors dominated the third day of the game at Queen’s Park Oval, piling up 317 for two declared in their second innings.
Shamarh Brooks chipped in with an unbeaten 76 while opener Omar Phillips got 40.
Set an improbable target of 392 for victory, Red Force stumbled to the close on 57 for three — still 335 runs adrift.
Resuming the day on 20 without loss, Pride once again bossed proceedings courtesy of Alleyne, who extended his rich vein of form while anchoring two century partnerships.
In only his 11th first class outing, he put on 101 for the first wicket with Phillips and then took the game away from Red Force by spearheading a 216-run, second-wicket stand with Brooks.
All told, Alleyne faced 215 deliveries in just over 4-1/2 hours at the crease, and struck 24 fours and two fours.
Unbeaten on 10 at the start of the day, Alleyne did the bulk of the scoring in the morning session to raise his third half-century in as many innings off 70 deliveries with ten fours, half-hour before lunch.
Phillips fell, six overs before the interval, lbw to leg-spinner Imran Khan, but Alleyne pushed on to be 67 not out at the break, with Pride on 136 for one.
Alleyne, who top-scored with 88 in the first innings, then completed a deserving century about 50 minutes following the resumption, off 140 balls with 16 fours.
Brooks, unbeaten on 21 at lunch, reached his 11th first class half-century about 35 minutes before tea, facing 86 balls and counted six fours.
At the interval, Pride were cruising on 279 for one, with Alleyne on 163 and Brooks on 64, and the pair gathered another 38 runs off 40 balls afterwards before the declaration came when Alleyne was finally out.
The right-handed Brooks hit seven fours off 136 balls in 170 minutes.
Test seamer Kemar Roach immediately put the Red Force innings in strife when he removed Imran Khan for a first-ball ‘duck’ off the second ball of the innings, caught at the wicket with the score on two.
Hope and Cariah then resisted in a 48-run, second- wicket stand that seemed to be taking Red Force safely to the close.
The right-handed Hope faced 44 deliveries and counted five fours while Cariah, a left-hander, also struck five boundaries in a 47-ball innings.
However, Hope was bowled by captain and medium pacer Kevin Stoute on 50 for two and with six runs added, off-spinner Kenroy Williams also breached Cariah’s defence in the fourth over before the close, leaving Red Force with a mountain top climb on today’s final day.
At Warner Park, Leeward Islands Hurricanes require another 325 for victory against Guyana Jaguars, with all 10 wickets intact.
Scores: Guyana Jaguars 293 (Shiv Chanderpaul 81 not out, Rajendra Chanrika 64, Anthony Bramble 39; Rahkeem Cornwall 6-87) and 233 for eight decl. (Chris Barnwell 61, Raymon Reifer 46, Leon Johnson 28; Hayden Walsh Jr 4-56).
Leeward Islands Hurricanes 158 (Kieran Powell 79; Gudakesh Motie 3-43, Raymon Reifer 2-22, Keon Joseph 2-27) and 44 without loss (Kieran Powell 25 not out).
SCOREBOARD
PRIDE 1st Innings 242
RED FORCE 1st Innings 168
PRIDE 2nd Innings
(overnight 20 without loss)
O Phillips lbw b Imran Khan 40
A Alleyne c Hope b Richards
186
S Brooks not out 76
Extras (b5, lb5, w2, nb3) 15
TOTAL (2 wkts decl., 71.4
overs) 317
Fall of wickets: 1-101, 2-317.
Bowling: Cottrell 8-1-31-0,
Richards 8.4-0-41-1, Imran
Khan 23-1-96-1, Primus 6-2-
34-0, Jagessar 16-3-59-0,
Goolie 3-0-15-0, Ottley 7-1-
31-0.
RED FORCE 2nd Innings (target:
392 runs)
K Hope b Stoute 26
Imran Khan c wkp Rampersad
b Roach 0
Y Cariah b Williams 25
M Richards not out 2
*Y Ottley not out 0
Extras (b1, nb3) 4
TOTAL (3 wkts, 21 overs) 57
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-50, 3-56.
Bowling: Roach 5-1-23-1,
Greaves 4-1-17-0, Chase 4-2-
8-0, Stoute 3-1-7-1, Warrican
2-1-1-0, Williams 2-2-0-1,
Charles 1-1-0-0.
Position: Red Force require
a further 335 runs for victory
with seven wickets intact.
Toss: Red Force.
Umpires: P Nero, D Butler