Baugh shines as Jamaica stay top

Carlton Baugh's 140 in the first innings proved decisive as Jamaica beat Trinidad & Tobago by 192 runs in a low-scoring match at Queen's Park Oval, and maintained their dominant position at the top of the Regional Four-Day Competition table. Baugh only played the first two days of the match, after which he was called up to the West Indies one-day squad due to an injury to Denesh Ramdin. He had already had a huge impact on the match, though, with his century rescuing Jamaica from 84 for 6 in the first innings, and accounting for almost half Jamaica's first-innings total of 290.

That set the match up for Jamaica's bowers, who skittled T & T for 143 in the first innings and 112 in the second, to finish the match in three days. Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller took four wickets in the first innings, and David Bernard ripped through T & T in the second, taking 7 for 23, his best first-class figures.

T & T's spinners, Imran Khan and Aneil Kanhai, had taken four wickets each to bowl Jamaica out for 157 in their second innings, but the huge first-innings lead Jamaica had achieved thanks to Baugh meant T & T were left with a daunting chase, which they came nowhere near completing.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul's century and an all-round performance from Narsingh Deonarine helped Guyana beat Barbados by an innings and 66 runs in Bridgetown, and leapfrog T & T to second in the table. Chanderpaul scored 125 not out in Guyana's reply to Barbados' 317, and Deonarine got 84, helping the visitors get a 124-run first-innings lead.

Barbados then capitulated to Deonarine's offspin in the second innings, getting shot out for 58 with Deonarine bagging a first-class career-best haul of 7 for 26. It was a shocking collapse after the first three days had been dominated by the bat. Kraigg Brathwaite had top scored with 62, and was one of four half-centurions for Barbados, in the first innings. Guyana had four batsmen pass 50 too, but Chanderpaul converted that into a century to give Guyana control of the game. Barbados showed no will to fight back, as only two of their batsmen reached double-figures in their second attempt.

Leeward Islands notched up their first win of the season when they beat Windward Islands in a close, low-scoring match in St Lucia. Windwards took a 57-run first-innings lead and Leewards managed 177 in their third innings, to leave a target of 121. Windwards were shot out for 90 by Leewards' pace bowlers in the fourth innings.

Gavin Tonge finished with 9 for 111 in the match, taking six wickets in the first innings to keep Windwards to 178, and three in the second. Tonito Willett was the key bowler in the second innings, getting four of the first five Windwards wickets to fall, to set up the win.

For Windwards, medium-pacer Keon Peters took 5 for 43 in the first innings to help bowl Leewards out for 121. Then Liam Sebastien scored 77, in a match that had only one other half-century, and gave Windwards the edge. Leewards fought back well, their batsmen giving them a chance and the bowlers skittling Windwards in the final innings.