Jamaica Franchise registered their third win in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Four-Day Professional Cricket League yesterday, with a four-wicket triumph over Leewards Hurricanes at Sabina Park.
Resuming on 160 for four and needing 35 runs for victory, Jamaica went on to score 195 for six, 35 minutes in the first session of the final day, with 9.1 overs bowled.
Left-hand opener John Campbell, 63 not out overnight, went on to add five runs to his total, while his counterpart, David Bernard, Jnr, added 17 to his overnight 33 to score an even 50.
The 21-year-old Campbell was first of the two wickets to fall when he held out to a catch at deep mid-wicket off a bad ball from leg-spinner Collin Hamer with 11 runs needed.
He was then followed to the pavilion six runs later by Bernard, Jnr, who, on reaching his 50, mistimed a full toss from Hamer and was caught on the long-on boundary.
Wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr, one from 15 balls, then steadied the team, along with spinner Nikita Miller, who hit a single and a four off the two balls he faced.
Jamaica made 222 in their first innings, with the Leewards making 103 and 313 during their turns at bat.
Leg-spinner Damion Jacobs, who claimed five for 27 in the first innings and three for 74 in the second innings, and made 41 while sharing in a 100-run eight-wicket stand with Miller on day two, was declared Man-of-the-Match.
“I thought we played well and showed character throughout the game,” said Jamaica coach, Junior Bennett.
“This was especially so in our first innings. To be 87 for seven and to rally to make 222, that was a good effort.
“I also believe we bowled well right throughout, even in the second innings when they scored over 300 runs.
“We did not go for more than 2.4 runs per over.”
Meanwhile, Ridley Jacobs, coach of the Leewards, cried foul at the result, stating that a mistaken change of the match ball, during the Jamaicans’ reply cost them the encounter.
“There was a problem with the ball before tea yesterday (third day),” said Jacobs.
“The umpires misplaced the ball, came with a different ball and that changed the complexion of the game.”
The Leewards coach added: “It so happened that the ball we were bowling with before tea was 16 overs old, and the ball the umpires came out with after tea was 34 overs old. That’s a big difference.
“The ball that we had first was doing a lot, and the ball they gave us did not do anything. That is the reason why we lost the game.
“At 42 for three heading into the tea interval, our guys were fully up to it and confident of restricting Jamaica to under the 195.
“We had them 35 for five in the first innings, the same Jamaica batting, so we thought that we had a good score, which could have won the game.”
Jacobs, the former West Indies wicketkeeper, also explained that his team intended to make an official complaint to the WICB.
“There will definitely be an official complaint, as that should not be happening in any cricket game,” he quipped.
The umpires were Trinidad and Tobago’s Danesh Ramdhanie, Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor, with Jamaica’s Athol Hamilton performing third-umpire duties.
Jamaican Michael Hylton was the match referee.
The league is slated take a two-month break to accommodate the regional Super50 championship, which will be held in Trinidad and Tobago, starting in January.
