Miller spins it Jamaica's way

Jamaica 165 (Blackwood 81, Cummins 5-58) and 188 (Jackson 59, Carter 4-0) beat Barbados 162 (Carter 63, Miller 5-33) and 128 (Miller 5-34, Brown 2-48) by 63 runs
Scorecard

A match haul of 10 for 67 by left-arm spinner Nikita Miller helped Jamaica hand Barbados a 63-run defeat in the Regional Four Day Competition in Bridgetown. Chasing 192 runs for a win with two days of play left in the game, the hosts struggled to occupy the crease, losing wickets regularly, and were eventually dismissed for 128.

Except for wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, who scored an unbeaten 31, none of the other batsmen crossed a score of 20, as the Jamaican spinners, led by Miller, held sway. Offspinner Tamar Lambert took a couple of wickets, as did leg-spinner Odean Brown.

Bowlers from both sides dominated the match and it was the Barbados bowlers who gave their side a clear advantage on the first day, dismissing Jamaica for just 165. At one stage, Jamaica, who chose to bat, were three wickets down without a run on the board. Jermaine Blackwood and David Bernard added 67 runs for the fifth wicket, taking Jamaica towards a respectable first-innings score. Blackwood, who scored 81, was involved in another 50-plus partnership, with Andrew Richardson, as Jamaica scraped out 165.

The home side hardly fared better in their first innings. It took a half-century from Jonathan Carter and 35-run, ninth-wicket stand between Chris Jordan and Ashley Nurse to take Barbados to 162, giving Jamaica a slender, three-run lead.

Jamaica were hoping to fare better in their second innings, but opener Simon Jackson was the only batsman who spent some time at the crease, scoring 59. An exceptional spell of bowling from medium-pacer Jonathan Carter, who finished with figures of 3-3-0-4, cleaned up the Jamaican lower order. However, in the end, Jamaica's effort proved quite enough to secure a win in the opening round of Regional Four Day games.