Barbados set to beat West Indies B

The Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) is set to lose another two days of gate receipts.

That's because the island's champion cricketers are on the verge of completing a fifth comprehensive victory well inside the distance after Sherwin Campbell's second century of the season and two exceptional catches late in the day.

After the second day of their final round preliminary Carib Beer Series match against West Indies "B", very few expect this no-contest to go past lunch today.

With that in mind, hardly anyone will come to Kensington Oval today. Even if they do, the BCA might very well decide not to charge admission in light of the limited play expected.

Bottom-of-the-table West Indies "B", facing a big first innings deficit of 238 against the newly-crowned Cup champs, closed the second day on 181 for six, a position that was beefed up by an enterprising sixth wicket partnership of 82 between their two leading batsmen this season, Aneil Kanhai and Carlton Baugh.

These two responded to a collapse with a series of bold strokes, but the buzz around the ground in the evening session was generated mainly by sensational one-handed catches in the gully by Dwayne Smith and Sulieman Benn, respectively, in the space of five minutes.

In both cases, the ball was travelling and both fielders stretched out their left hands to haul in the catches.

There was an equally, stupendous catch by wicket-keeper Courtney Browne, but after Barbados claimed four wickets for 36, Kanhai and Baugh played freely, especially against Tino Best.

After Best delivered a shoulder-high full toss to Denzil James, he responded by despatching Narsingh Deonarine in the same over with the help of Browne's catch, but was then roughed up by Kanhai and Baugh to the extent that his eight overs cost him 66.

Baugh made a run-a-ball 47, while the left-handed Kanhai fell just before the close for the same score off 68 balls when he edged Ryan Hurley to slip.

While Campbell kept Barbados' innings together in the morning session with his 25th first-class hundred and ninth at the regional level, there was an equally impressive five-wicket performance from hometown fast bowler Jason Bennett.

Campbell's 135 off 238 balls was solid and was also punctuated by some powerful strokes through the off-side that were responsible for most of his 18 fours.

His contribution was all the more important after Bennett made inroads into Barbados' batting.

In ten successive overs from the Joel Garner End, the bustling Bennett adhered to a line a trifle outside off stump and bowled a decent three-quarter length that made it difficult to get after him.

After removing Philo Wallace and Ryan Hinds in another impressive ten-over spell the previous evening, Bennett added the scalps of Floyd Reifer, Dwayne Smith and Ryan Hurley in the first hour-and-a-half of the day.

The left-handed Reifer had not yet added to his overnight 57 when Bennett bowled him off the glove in the second over of the morning.

Smith never looked comfortable against Bennett and it was no surprise when he nibbled a ball outside the off stump and edged a catch that was taken low down by little wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh.

After his crucial half-century against Leeward Islands last weekend, Ryan Hurley earned a promotion coming in ahead of captain Courtney Browne at No. 6, two notches higher than the position he occupied for the last four matches.

He promptly lifted his first ball from fast bowler Andrew Richardson for four and added another boundary when he whipped Bennett through backward square.

Another exciting innings seemed to be in the making from the busy Hurley, but it never materialised.

Rapped low down with a ball of fullish length from Bennett, he was given out lbw, but many fans behind the bowler's arm were certain the ball would have missed leg stump.

Those first three wickets were taken within the first 40 minutes and would have given encouragement to West Indies "B" after Barbados resumed on 155 for two in response to the youngsters' 115.

Barbados consolidated by way of a fifth-wicket partnership of 59 between Campbell and Browne that ended on the stroke of lunch when Browne, in trying to repeat a hook for six off Rayon Thomas, holed out to deep square-leg for 25.

By then, Campbell raced to his century with a neat dab to the backward point boundary and continued after lunch in the same rich form before being caught at slip attempting to cut Kanhai's off-spin.

After his dismissal at 292 for seven, the total was helped by a half-century stand between Sulieman Benn (37 not out) and Corey Collymore (20).

SCOREBOARD:

WEST INDIES "B" 1st Innings 115

BARBADOS 1st Innings

(overnight 155-2)

P. Wallace b Bennett 26

S. Campbell c Jeffers b Kanhai 135

R. Hinds lbw b Bennett 4

F. Reifer b Bennett 57

D. Smith c wk Baugh b Bennett 4

R. Hurley lbw b Bennett 9

*+C. Browne c Deonarine b Thomas 25

I. Bradshaw c James b Kanhai 12

S. Benn not out 37

C. Collymore lbw b Deonarine 20

Extras (b2, lb3, w4, nb15) 24

TOTAL (9 wkts dec'd - 96.4 overs) 353

Fall of wickets: 1-41 (Wallace), 2-57 (Hinds), 3-159 (Reifer), 4-165 (Smith), 5-185 (Hurley), 6-244 (Browne), 7-292 (Campbell), 8-293 (Bradshaw), 9-353 (Collymore).

Did not bat: T. Best.

Bowling: Richardson 22-2-73-0 (w1, nb3), Thomas 13-0-79-1 (w3, nb7), Bennett 26-1-83-5 (nb5), Kanhai 18-5-40-2, Jeffers 7-2-33-0, Ingram 9-4-34-0 (nb1), Deonarine 1.4-0-6-1.

WEST INDIES "B" 2nd Innings

*S. Jeffers c Hurley b Bradshaw 35

P. Browne lbw b Collymore 10

N. Deonarine c wk Browne b Best 7

D. James c Smith b Best 15

A Kanhai c Wallace b Hurley 47

G. Mahabir c Benn b Collymore 0

+C. Baugh not out 47

L. Ingram not out 0

Extras (b1, lb3, w1, nb15) 20

TOTAL (6 wkts - 37 overs) 181

Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Browne), 2-59 (Jeffers), 3-68 (Deonarine), 4-95 (James), 5-95 (Mahabir), 6-177 (Kanhai).

Bowling: Collymore 8-2-40-2 (nb5), Bradshaw 9-1-34-1 (nb2), Best 8-0-66-2 (w1, nb5), Benn 8-1-29-0, Hurley 4-2-8-1.

Position: West Indies "B" trail by 57 runs with four wickets in hand ahead of today's third day.

Umpires: Dalton Holder (Barbados), Camal Basdeo (Trinidad and Tobago). Stand-by: Vincent Bullen (Barbados)