ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Hundreds from Joshua da Silva and Yannic Cariah, members of the West Indies Emerging Players side that won the Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup this past November, marked play in the West Indies Championship on Friday.
Da Silva stroked an undefeated 113 – his maiden first-class hundred – and Cariah, fresh from leading the Emerging Players, gathered his fourth first-class hundred, an even, unbeaten 100, to reinforce Trinidad & Tobago Red Force’s dominance over Jamaica Scorpions in Tarouba, Trinidad, on the second day of first round matches in the Championship.
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Five-time defending champions Guyana Jaguars too, tightened their grip against Leeward Islands Hurricanes, following up a strong batting display led by Christopher Barnwell with a cluster of early wickets to put their hosts on the back-foot in the day/night contest in North Sound, Antigua.
And, former West Indies Under-19 captain Emmanuel Stewart hit a defiant half-century to prop up Windward Islands Volcanoes batting and keep Barbados Pride at bay in Kingstown, St. Vincent.
Jaguars (388) vs Hurricanes 125-5 at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground
Newcomer Nial Smith grabbed 3-29 from 12 overs in a lively burst to extend the Jaguars’ dominance.
After the new-ball pair of Keon Joseph and Raymon Reifer failed to produce the breakthrough, Smith trapped veteran Hurricanes opener Montcin Hodge lbw for 13.
Joseph added the scalp of former West Indies Under-19 World Cup final hero Keacy Carty for seven.
Hurricanes were 44 for two, but veteran Devon Thomas and West Indies international Kieron Powell defied the Jaguars attack to repair the damage with a steady partnership of 35.
Smith rocked the Hurricanes however, with the removal of Thomas caught behind for 13 and Powell lbw for 34 in successive over before Barnwell put the icing on a personally memorable day, when he bowled Jaison Peters for four.
Jacques Taylor, not out on 11, joined his captain Jahmar Hamilton, not out on 23, and they batted through 45 minutes to put on 40 – unbroken – for the fifth wicket before rain brought an early close.
Earlier, Barnwell shared 111 with Reifer for the fifth wicket to extend the Jaguars’ innings past the interval and give them the foundation for a sizeable first innings total.
Barnwell struck nine fours and one six from 106 balls in a shade over 2-1/2 hours and passed the 2,000-run mark for the Jaguars in his Championship career. He now has 2,053 runs in 54 matches.
A typically resilient Reifer made 47 before he became the first wicket for leg-spinner Damion Jacobs, who was the pick of the Hurricanes bowlers with 4-89 from 29 overs.
After Reifer’s dismissal, there was little resistance from the Jaguars’ lower order until Smith came to the crease and frustrated the Hurricanes in a stand of 38 for the last wicket with West Indies international Devendra Bishoo.
Red Force (460-4 dec) vs Scorpions 94-3 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy
DaSilva, 21, and Cariah, 27, shared 164 – unbroken – for the fifth wicket to fire Red Force to their sizeable total.
Off-spinner Bryan Charles then bagged two wickets before Scorpions reached 94 for three at the close, with former captain Paul Palmer Jr not out on 31 and West Indies international Rovman Powell not out on 25, having added 41 so far for the fourth wicket.
The day, however, belonged to DaSilva and Cariah, after their captain, West Indies batsman Darren Bravo was lbw to Derval Green for 66 in the first session.
Bravo struck five fours and two sixes from 166 balls in a shade under four hours and extended his fourth wicket stand with DaSilva to 86, after Red Force resumed the day on 241 for three.
There was no further success for Scorpions, as Da Silva and Cariah carried the Red Force batting the rest of the way.
DaSilva, making his ninth appearance for Red Force, struck eight fours and one six from 211 ball in just over five hours, and Cariah carved out seven fours and two sixes in a knock requiring only 135 balls in just over 2-1/2 hours.
Scorpions started steadily before Charles removed their captain and West Indies opener John Campbell lwb for 16 and bowled West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood for six. In between, pacer Terrance Hinds removed Assad Fudadin for nine.
Tottering on 53 for three, Scorpions were stabilised by Palmer and Powell before the close.
Pride (233) vs Volcanoes 230-7 at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground
Volcanoes stumbled to 129 for five, but the 20-year-old Stewart ended the day not out on exactly 50 to bolster the innings and ensure the margins in the contest remained close.
Stewart has so far struck three fours and two sixes from 164 balls in 3-3/4 hours of batting.
Keron Cottoy made 38, veteran opener Devon Smith hit 33, newcomer Desron Maloney got 30, and former Volcanoes captain and Test batsman Kirk Edwards added 27.
Part-time medium-pacer Jonathan Carter, West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican and off-spinner Ashley Nurse all finished with two wickets to lead the Pride attack.
Nurse’s two wickets carried his career tally of wickets for Pride to 150.
Volcanoes started well, when Smith and Maloney put on 76 for the first wicket, as Pride struggled to make early inroads.
Maloney’s dismissal triggered a slide and Volcanoes lost three wickets for 17 runs to find themselves on 93 for three.
Edwards and Alick Athanaze temporarily stemmed the fall of wickets before their dismissals in the space of 16 balls.
Volcanoes were 129 for five, but Stewart stepped up to anchor a critical 63-run, sixth wicket stand with Cottoy, which hauled Volcanoes back into contention.
The wickets of Cottoy and Shane Shillingford in the final session set back Volcanoes however.
-CWI
