BASSETERRE, St Kitts, (CMC) – Half-centuries from their captain Shamarh Brooks and rookie left-handed opener Shayne Moseley gave Barbados Pride a strong start in their return match against Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the Regional 4-Day Championship yesterday.
Brooks made 79 and Moseley was unbeaten on 70, as the Pride reached 174 for two in their first innings at the close, after they were sent in to bat on the rain-hit first day of their sixth-round match at Warner Park.
Brooks and Moseley shared 168 for the second wicket to help the visitors quickly erase the bad memories of the second-round contest at Kensington Oval in Barbados, where the Hurricanes blew them away in two days.
Unlike that previous match, when the pace bowlers led the demolition, Hurricanes captain Rahkeem Cornwall has been the sole wicket-taker so far, grabbing 2-58 from 25 overs, including the prized scalp of Brooks, his West Indies ‘A’ Team ‘Test’ captain.
After the start was delayed until after the scheduled lunch interval, Pride lost left-handed opener Anthony Alleyne lbw to Cornwall for 21 in the 12th over.
Pride were 36 for one, but the languid Brooks came to the crease and gave a spark to the batting with Moseley, as they carried the Pride to tea at 77 for one.
After the break, they continued merrily to pass their respective landmarks and Brooks had struck nine fours and three sixes from 160 balls when he fell to Cornwall in the closing stages of the day.
Moseley has so far struck nine fours from 225 balls and carried the Pride through to the close with fellow left-hander Jonathan Carter, not out on two.
Pride made just one change to their line-up, bringing Antigua & Barbuda-born leg-spin bowler Hayden Walsh Jr in to replace departing West Indies One-day off-spinner Ashley Nurse.
Hurricanes have brought in Nkrumah Bonner and Gavin Tonge to replace Shane Burton and Elvin Berridge.
Neither side has earned any points yet – Hurricanes are fourth in the standings on 49.6 and Pride are fifth on 48 points.
BARBADOS PRIDE 1st innings
A. Alleyne lbw b Cornwall 21
S. Moseley not out 70
S. Brooks c Thomas b Cornwall 79
J. Carter not out 2
Extras: (nb-2) 2
Total: (2 wkts, 70 overs) 174
Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-168.
Bowling: Tonge 12-2-34-0 (nb-1), Louis 13-3-36-0 (nb-1), Cornwall 25-8-58-2, S. Berridge 9-3-18-0, Warde 8-3-19-0, Bonner 1-0-4-0, Thomas 2-1-5-0.
HURRICANES: M. Hodge, C. Hughes, A. Saunders, D. Thomas, N. Bonner, +J. Hamilton, *R. Cornwall, T. Warde, J. Louis, G. Tonge, S. Berridge
