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News

Smith double-century sets up Windward Islands

A round-up of day two of the Regional Four Day competition

Cricinfo staff
11-Jan-2009

Devon Smith scored an unbeaten 201 to put Windward Islands in the hunt for an innings win against Guyana © Getty Images
 
An unbeaten 201 by opener Devon Smith - it's his highest first-class score - put Windward Islands in a commanding position against Guyana in Grenada, as they finished the day on 377 for 7, gaining a massive lead of 205. After bowling out Guyana for 172 on the first day, the Windward batsmen helped strengthen their team's dominance by staying at the crease long enough to provide enough support to Smith who anchored the innings.
Guyana picked up an early wicket, that of Miles Bascombe for 16, but failed through the day to dismantle Smith, who was involved in three successive half-century stands - 50 for the third wicket with Liam Sebastien, 95 with Darren Sammy and 86 with captain Rawl Lewis - to put the game out of Guyana's reach. His fourth fifty-plus stand, an unbeaten 67 for the eighth wicket, came with Shane Shillingford as Windwards strengthened their advantage. Legspinner Davendra Bishoo was Guyana's only notable performer, taking 3 for 89.
Left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds took four wickets to help Barbados restrict Trinidad and Tobago to 264 in Weymouth, but a below-par batting display by his team's batsmen saw the two sides end the day on even terms. Barbados opener Dale Richards scored an unbeaten 60 and will be the key to his team's progress tomorrow, but he was deprived of support from his fellow batsmen as T&T managed to keep them to 108 for 4.
T&T began the day on 182 for 5 and their overnight batsman Darren Bravo missed his century by three runs as he was caught at square leg while attempting a flick off Kemar Roach, who finished with 3 for 59 .However, he kept losing partners at the other end as none of the partnerships for the last five wickets exceeded 32. T&T were helped by some indisciplined bowling: Barbados conceded 40 extras, including 25 no-balls, but failed to build partnerships as Hinds ran through the tail to dismiss them for an unsatisfactory score.
The Barbados reply, though, was disappointing, and painfully slow. Their score of 108 took 60 overs to get, with just Richards holding an end firmly. Following a wicketless opening spell by fast bowlers Rayad Emrit and Richard Kelly, the captain Darren Ganga turned to his brother Sherwin who delivered immediately, having Jason Haynes, the Barbados captain, caught at slip for 6. He then had Hinds caught at mid-on for 10 before spinners Amit Jaggernauth and Dave Mohammed took a wicket apiece to keep Barbados in check.
A five-wicket haul by legspinner Anthony Martin helped Leeward Islands fight back on the second day in St Kitts to limit Jamaica to 201 for 7 after being bowled out for 298. Odean Brown, the Jamaican legspinner, like his counterpart Martin, starred for his team, taking 5 for 82, as Leeward managed to add just 63 more to an overnight score of 235 for 6. Omari Banks, who was unbeaten on 75 yesterday, reached his second first-class century, but barring a 62-run stand with the other overnight batsman Wilden Cornwall, who made 39, the lower-order failed to resist as the last three pairs only managed 25 between them. In a day dominated by legspinners, Gavin Wallace dismissed both Banks - the last out as he top-edged a reverse sweep - and Cornwall to bring an early end to the Leewards innings.
In reply, Jamaica began poorly, losing opener Brenton Parchment for a duck. But a 72-run stand between Danza Hyatt and Donovan Pagon helped them recover. Hyatt then was bowled by Cornwall and Pagon followed soon after - he looked fluent in his knock of 62, hitting nine boundaries - trying to clear the boundary but only finding Gavin Tonge at long-off to give Martin his first wicket. Jamaica's captain Tamar Lambert and Wavell Hinds, though, threatened to take away the game from Leewards, adding 60 for the fourth wicket, but Martin accounted for both to trigger a collapse. Hinds was caught behind for 31 with the score on 156 and Lambert followed soon after, misreading a googly to be bowled for 38. Martin continued to make inroads, trapping David Bernard in front for a duck and dismissing Andre Russell for 4 as Jamaica lost four wickets for 13 runs to slip from 156 for 3 to 169 for 7. A defiant 32-run stand between wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert and Brown prevented any further damage as Jamaica looked to overhaul the Leewards score and muster a lead.