The Leeward Islands Hurricanes will have to chase 247 to beat Barbados Pride after burly off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall and part-time medium-pacer Devon Thomas triggered a stunning Barbados Pride batting collapse in the West Indies Championship on Thursday in Barbados.
At the same time, pacer Ronsford Beaton led the demolition of the batting of hosts Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, enabling leaders Guyana Harpy Eagles to build a strong case for a season-defining victory on the second day of third-round matches.
And, left-hander Alick Athanaze missed out on a hundred for a second time in the match but led the Windward Islands Volcanoes batting before they were bowled out and set Jamaica Scorpions 415 to win in the only match being played in Guyana.
AT QUEEN’S PARK OVAL: Cornwall ended with five for 19 from 7.2 overs to finish with match figures of 11 for 69, Thomas grabbed a career-best five for 22 from nine overs, and defending champions Pride – leading by 168 on the first innings – were bowled out for a meager 78 in their second innings.
Zachary McCaskie got the top score of 29 and left-handed fellow opener Shayne Moseley made 27, and gave Pride a solid start, sharing 59 for the first wicket.
But Cornwall opened the floodgates when he removed McCaskie in his third over, and Pride lost their next nine wickets for 19 in the span of 51 balls and were all out for their fourth-lowest total in the modern era of the Championship (from 1966 onwards).
Hurricanes were 13 without loss from two overs before stumps were drawn on a dramatic day with Montcin Hodge not out on nine and left-handed fellow opener Kieran Powell not out on naught.
Pride had earlier resumed from their overnight total of 316 for eight and added only eight before being dismissed for 324 in their first innings inside the first half-hour to claim three batting bonus points.
Test wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich, their captain, finished with an undefeated 124, his eighth first-class hundred.
Left-arm pacer Dominic Drakes, son of former Barbados and West Indies pacer turned Pride coach Vasbert Drakes, and bearded new-ball partner Jair McAllister ripped through the Hurricanes top-order and had them wobbling on 63 for six at lunch.
Hurricanes captain Jahmar Hamilton tried to counterattack either side of the interval and ended with the top score of 30, and the lower-order responded to the crisis before they were dismissed for 154 in their first innings a little before the tea interval to concede full bowling bonus points to the Pride.
A handful of batsmen got starts without carrying on – Jeremiah Louis score 24, so too, Colin Archibald and Thomas and Hayden Walsh Jr added 20 each to bring some respectability to the total.
Drakes was the most successful Pride bowler with three for 38 from 13 overs, and McAllister and Shamar Springer took two wickets apiece.
AT THE BRIAN LARA CRICKET ACADEMY: Beaton bagged four for 31 from 13 overs, and Red Force were bowled out for 160, in reply to the Harpy Eagles’ first innings total of 324, handing the visitors full bowling bonus points.
Apart from an even 50 from long-serving international batsman Jason Mohammed and 22 from Jyd Goolie, and their fourth-wicket stand of 58, there was little quality from the Red Force batting.
Test left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul ended with three for 36 from 14 overs, and international pacer Keemo Paul took three for 37 from 13 overs to complete the demolition.
Harpy Eagles were off to a wobbly start, but Kemol Savoy, not out on 34, and Matthew Nandu with 33 enabled them to reach 96 for three at the close and extend their lead to 260.
AT THE GUYANA NATIONAL STADIUM: Current captain Athanaze fell agonizingly short of a hundred for 97 and past captain Kavem Hodge hit 82, but Volcanoes were bowled out for 298 in their second innings to leave Scorpions two days to chase their target.
Volcanoes were 19 for two before Athanaze came to the crease and batted through lunch to put on 171 with Hodge for the third wicket.
Hodge was lbw to first-innings destroyer Derval Green and Athanaze fell two overs later to off-spinner Kirk McKenzie before the Volcanoes could pass 200, but the rest of the batting caved into steady bowling from the Scorpions.
CMC/
