Windwards hold nerve to upstage Guyana

The Guyana bowlers gave Windward Islands a serious scare on the third day of their encounter in St Vincent but Windwards held their nerve to seal a four-wicket win. Guyana had been reduced to 98 for 9, a lead of just 17, in the second innings and were on the verge of a big defeat at stumps on the second day. But the last-wicket pair of Rajindra Chandrika and Brandon Bess stretched it to 57. It proved insufficient but it was one that gave the Guyana bowlers a window of opportunity. The spin pair of Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo had Windwards reeling at 35 for 6 at one stage and had given Guyana a fair chance of a shock win. But captain Liam Sebastien resisted with a 46-ball vigil for seven runs while Gary Mathurin made an unbeaten 14 to steer their team to a tight win.

A five-wicket haul from Jerome Taylor gave Jamaica a two-run lead over Barbados at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Barbados had been in a strong position at the end of day two, on 220 for 4 against Jamaica's 324 in the first innings. But Taylor's strikes and the Barbados' middle order's failure to convert starts into substantial scores tilted the scales. Among the right Barbados batsmen who went past 20, only two reached a half-century, the highest being 76. Jamaica extended the lead to 116 by stumps with eight wickets still in hand. Marlon Samuels led the response, unbeaten on 58.

Combined Campuses and Colleges were in a dominant position against Leeward Islands at the end of the third day in Antigua. Kjorn Ottley made 84, supported by opener Romel Currency and wicketkeeper Kyle Corbin. The lower order, with Kevin Mclean and Floyd Reifer, also chipped in to set Leewards a target of 370. Leewards struggled in their chase, slipping to 70 for 5 and are in danger of being defeated. Carlos Brathwaite picked up two wickets.

England Lions fought back to seize the initiative on the third day against Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain. T&T had been in a strong position at 173 for 2 with their experienced hands Runako Morton and Daren Ganga on the second day. But seamers Jade Dernbach and Liam Plunkett, backed up by the spin of Adil Rashid and Danny Briggs, dismissed the middle and lower orders cheaply to secure a 42-run lead. In their second innings, the England Lions had been coasting at 157 for 1 but lost three wickets in a space of nine runs. Jimmy Adams and Andrew Gale struck half-centuries. At stumps, they led by 227 with six wickets in hand.