Butler and Pascal lead Windwards fightback

Windward Islands fought back well on the second day against Guyana at the Providence Stadium, after being bowled out for 215 on the first, as fast bowlers Deighton Butler and Nelon Pascal took four wickets each to limit the opposition to 280, and keep their lead down to 65. For Guyana, Leon Johnson starred with 73, and was involved in fruitful partnerships with nightwatchman Davendra Bishoo, Narsingh Deonarine and captain Travis Dowlin, who all chipped in with useful contributions. Guyana were well placed at 251 for 4, but a six-wicket burst from Butler and Pascal after tea severely weakened their advantage as they lost 6 for 29. In their second innings, Windwards reached 75 for 1 by stumps but opener Keddy Lasporis, who scored 27 off just 31 balls, was struck in the groin by fast bowler Trevon Garraway to be retired hurt.

The contest in Kingston followed a similar script as Jamaica squandered a solid foundation provided by an 85-run second-wicket stand between opener Brenton Parchment and Donovan Pagon to be bowled out for 220 - just one short of the Leeward Islands score. Wilden Cornwall, the medium-pacer, took 5 for 37, and was well supported by fast bowlers Gavin Tonge and Tonito Willet, who took two wickets each, as Jamaica lost seven wickets for 76 runs after being in a good position to gain a sizeable lead. However, the match remained evenly poised at the close as Wavell Hinds and David Bernard took a wicket each to leave Leewards in a spot of bother at 53 for 2.

Trinidad and Tobago dominated proceedings against Barbados at Point-a-Pierre as fast bowler Ravi Rampaul took 3 for 31 to limit the opposition to 111 for 5, still 394 adrift of a mammoth score of 505. Kieron Pollard, who was unbeaten on 110 overnight, and lower-order batsman Imran Khan were the stars for T&T as they put the game out of Barbados' reach after a couple of early strikes. Sherwin Ganga and Gibran Mohammed were both dismissed by legspinner Nikolai Charles, but Pollard and Imran, who made 71, then added 118 for the eighth wicket to take their team to a daunting score. In their reply, Barbados faltered early, losing opener Jason Parris for a duck. Though captain Jason Haynes and Kirk Edwards added 60 to help them recover, Rampaul and left-arm spinner Magnum Nanan took the next four wickets for just 43 to leave Barbados staring at the possibility of conceding a massive first-innings lead.