Hosts and table leaders Guyana Harpy Eagles fought back after burly Leeward Islands Hurricanes off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall ripped the heart out of their batting and became the first bowler to pass 30 wickets for the season in the West Indies Championship on Wednesday.
Barbados Pride pacer Akeem Jordan defied half-centuries from Alick Athanaze and Barbadian wicketkeeper-batsman Tevyn Walcott and had the best bowling performance on the first day of the fifth round of matches, ending with a career-best spell against Windward Islands Volcanoes in Trinidad.
At the same time, lower-order batsman Terrance Hinds had the best batting performance, coming close to a second first-class hundred and leading a lower-order revival before hosts Trinidad & Tobago Red Force were bowled out in the final half-hour before the scheduled close against Jamaica Scorpions.
AT THE GUYANA NATIONAL STADIUM: Experienced left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul grabbed two for 31 from 12 overs, and spin the eternal bane of the Hurricanes reduce the visitors to 133 for five, replying to the Harpy Eagles first innings total of 122, at the close.
Discarded West Indies opener Kieran Powell has so far led the way for the visitors with 39, Hurricanes captain Jahmar Hamilton was not out on 35, and 2016 Under-19 World Cup-winner Keacy Carty made 23.
Powell and Carty shared 73 for the second wicket after pacer Niall Smith made an early breakthrough for Harpy Eagles when he got debutant opener Larry Audian lbw for a duck.
The trouble for the visitors started once Harpy Eagles captain Leon Johnson turned to the spinners with Kevin Sinclair and left-arm spinner Antony Adams leaving their imprint.
Cornwall had earlier snared four for 27 from 17 overs, carrying his his haul of wickets for the season to 31, and the Harpy Eagles were bowled out for 122 in their first innings after they won the toss and decided to bat.
Cornwall, playing his 57th match in the Championship for the Hurricanes, now has 285 wickets at 21.70 runs apiece since his debut nine years ago against Scorpions at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
It makes him the seventh most successful bowler in the modern era (1966 onwards) of the Championship, moving past Barbadian left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.
Opener Matthew Nandu led the way for Harpy Eagles with 22 and shared a steady 32 with West Indies Test opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, but he was the only batsman that reached 20 before the home team were bowled out about an hour and 10 minutes after lunch, failing to gain a batting bonus point.
Colin Archibald ended with two for 27 from 9.1 overs, and fellow left-arm pacer Javier Spencer took two for 35 from 11 overs, and Hurricanes gained all three bowling points and one pace bowling point to condemn the Harpy Eagles – destined to be this year’s champions – to easily their worst day of the season.
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