Greenhorn pacer Shamar Joseph grabbed his maiden first class five-wicket haul to hurt Windward Islands Volcanoes and leave Guyana Harpy Eagles with a tricky but achievable run chase on Saturday’s final day of their second-round match in the Regional Four-Day Championship.
The 22-year-old ended with five for 41, a spell which sent the hosts crashing to 168 all out in their second innings on day three at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.
Fast bowler Ronsford Beaton, a 30-year-old who played two One-Day Internationals for West Indies six years ago, supported with three for 35.
Set a challenging 294 to win, Harpy Eagles navigated their way safely to the close, finishing on 35 without loss – requiring a further 259 on the final day.
Chandrapaul Hemraj retired on three with as many on the board, but 19-year-old opener Matthew Nandu (18 not out) and Tevin Imlach (13 not out) combined to see off the Volcanoes’ late salvo.
Resuming on 48 for two, Volcanoes lost wickets steadily and had to be propped up by two partnerships. Kavem Hodge failed to add to his overnight 13, falling to the day’s second delivery with one run added to the total, edging a beauty from Beaton to be taken at the wicket.
Ambris, unbeaten on 18 overnight, then combined with Justin Greaves – who struck two fours off 61 balls – to add an important 37 for the fourth wicket.
Greaves’s demise, taken behind off the seventh delivery after lunch from Joseph, led to a slide where four wickets went down for 28 runs – the enterprising Joseph accounting for every scalp.
At the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, West Indies white-ball batsman Keacy Carty missed a third first-class hundred as Trinidad and Tobago Red Force took control of their contest against Leeward Islands Hurricanes.
Replying to the visitors’ 418 for nine declared, Hurricanes finished the day on 243 for seven with Carty stroking 95 and out-of-favour West Indies all-rounder Rahkeem Cornall chipping in with 33 not out.
Carty held together his side’s top order in an innings which required 205 balls and just over 5½ hours and included five fours and three sixes.
After Kieran Powell perished for one with five on the board in the fifth over, Carty posted 47 for the second wicket with Montcin Hodge (23), 61 for the second wicket with Kofi James (23), 35 for the fourth wicket with captain Jahmar Hamilton (15) and a further 27 for the fifth wicket with Terrance Warde (21).
The 25-year-old was in sight of triple figures when he heaved recklessly at left-arm spinner Khary Pierre (2-51) and skied a simple return catch, becoming one of three wickets to fall for 25 runs. Cornwall then struck a four and two sixes in a 68-ball innings, inspiring an important 43-run, unbroken eighth wicket partnership with Hayden Walsh Jr (18 not out).
Earlier, Imran Khan endured his share of frustrations when he missed out on a second first-class hundred, dismissed for 92 after resuming the morning on 67 with Red Force on 368 for eight in their first innings. All told, he struck 11 fours off 139 deliveries in a shade over three hours, stretching his ninth wicket stand with Pierre (33 not out) to 65 before holing out to deep mid-wicket off left-arm seamer Colin Archibald (3-111).
-CMC
