Barbados, T&T secure big wins

Defending champions Barbados reinforced their position at the top of the table with a 245-run win over Jamaica, earning back the place they briefly lost to Windward Islands earlier in the round

Barbados' strong first-innings total of 423, after they were put in to bat, was built on tons from Kirk Edwards and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich with supporting knocks from Carlos Brathwaite (36), Jason Holder (46) and Ashley Nurse (40). Nikita Miller bowled nearly a third of his side's overs, taking 4 for 95 in 47.3.

In reply, Jamaica could only manage 204 for 9 declared, losing their way after a 94-run partnership for the third wicket between Nkrumah Bonner and Jermaine Blackwood. Blackwood scored a brisk 64 off 80 balls with seven fours and two sixes, while Bonner was more circumspect in his 191-ball 50. Ashley Nurse was the most effective bowler for Barbados with returns of 4 for 63.

Barbados' top order, led by captain Kraigg Brathwaite's 91, stretched their 219-run lead by another 162 runs, setting Jamaica a difficult 382 for a win.

Jamaica's batting floundered against Sulieman Benn, Holder, Nurse and Carlos Brathwaite, stuttering to 64 for 6 before they were lifted slightly by a 50-run stand between Miller and Jamie Merchant. The partnership came too late for Jamaica, however, and even a stout 9 off 81 balls from No. 10 David Bernard was not enough to keep a defeat at bay.

Trinidad & Tobago sauntered to a 10-wicket win over Combined Campuses and Colleges chasing down a small target of 24 runs in 5.3 overs.

CC&C put T&T in to bat and had some early success as the batting side were struggling at 80 for 3. A commanding 226-run, fourth-wicket partnership between Jason Mohammed and Rayad Emrit, led T&T's comeback. Emrit, captaining the side, scored his third first-class hundred while Mohammed scored a first-class best of 220, facing 344 balls with 24 fours and five sixes. More importantly, he added crucial stands with the lower-order batsmen enabling T&T to declare at a formidable 451 for 8.

T&T's bowlers then got into the act, dismissing CC&C for 144 in the first innings. The only batsman from the CC&C line-up to build on a start was Raymon Reifer, who was unbeaten on 51. Imran Khan was the best bowler for T&T with 4 for 25 while Shannon Gabriel and Amit Jaggernauth also took two wickets apiece. Kieron Pollard, making a return to cricket after recovering from a knee injury, scored only four runs but picked up a wicket in each innings.

Having been asked to follow-on, CC&C showed more fight with opener Shacaya Thomas' second first-class hundred leading the way. Thomas, the leading run-scorer in this season's Regional Four Day Competition, has scored at least a fifty for CC&C in all four first-class games this season. Against T&T, he had help from Kyle Corbin (65) and Chadwick Walton (73), who pushed the innings along to 330. It was a better score than their first innings but left T&T with only 24 to get for a win.

The off-spin pair of Shane Shillingford and Liam Sebastien crafted a 197-run win for Windward Islands in their match against Leeward Islands.

Shillingford and Sebastien were responsible for restricting Leeward to below-par scores in both innings. Shillingford ran through the Leeward's middle and lower-order in the first, striking successively in a five-over spell between the 47th and 55th overs to finish with figures of 5 for 60 in 14.1 overs. His wickets saw Leeward crumble from 149 for 4 to 171 for 9 declared in response to Windward's first-innings score of 292.

With Leeward set a target of 360 to win the game, Sebastien, who was wicketless in the first innings got into the act, first dismissing the Leeward's top order - including captain Kieran Powell, who scored 54 - before returning to wrap up the tail-end. Sebastien finished with his best first-class figures of 7 for 49 as Leeward were dismissed for 162.

Earlier, fifties from Sunil Ambris and Romel Currency, with significant contributions from Devon Smith and Keddy Lesporis, pushed Windward to 292 in the first innings. Their batting dipped in the second innings, however, as Gavin Tonge and Anthony Martin (5-58) took eight wickets between them to dismiss the side for 238. Devon Smith scored 77 at the top of the order but the rest of the Windward batsmen failed to make good on their starts. Their score, combined with a lead of 121 runs was good enough to set a tough target and claim victory in three days.