Browne to rescue with 103

A CAPTAIN'S KNOCK is one of the most over-used clichés in cricket. It wouldn't have been out of place, however, to rubber-stamp it at the North Stars Cultural and Social Club ground yesterday.

With a sweet sense of timing in almost every aspect, Courtney Browne sped to a impressive century to rescue Barbados on the second day of their third-round Carib Beer Series match against Jamaica.

As the Barbados captain walked out onto the middle of the packed, scenic Crab Hill, St Lucy ground 40 minutes after lunch, his team's 141 for five, which soon became 161 for six with the loss of in-form Floyd Reifer, represented the potential of a modest total.

By the time he returned to the pavilion and a standing ovation just after 5 p.m., it had been transformed to a more satisfying 325 mainly on the strength of his unbeaten 103 off 157 balls.

"It was good innings, but I wasn't really worried about a hundred," Browne told SUNSPORT.

"We had a target in excess of 300. After we got 300, I realised I was about 12 or 14 away from a hundred and I decided I would take it."

In eight overs before the close, Jamaica reached 19 without loss when bad light halted play just before 6 p.m. on a day in which the first hour-and-a-half was lost because of wet conditions.

In the past, Browne has responded to potential crises by counter-attacking and yesterday was no different.

"I knew I had to bat. One of the things about our team is that the lower order always scores quickly. We always turn over the strike," he said.

With the help of the typically busy Ryan Hurley, whose 36 came from 54 balls, he rebuilt Barbados' position with an entertaining seventh-wicket partnership of 69 at better than a run-a-minute and then a solid eight-wicket stand of 51 with Ian Bradshaw.

The 32-year-old Browne was even more electrifying when last man Sulieman Benn joined him at a stage when he was still 23 away from his fifth first-class century and third at the regional level.

With Benn incapacitated by a troublesome knee, Browne dramatically raised a notch. In less than 20 minutes he moved from 77 to his first hundred as Barbados captain.

"When you are in the 70s, you have to pick up momentum a little more to get closer," Browne said. "A No. 11 or Benn seeing 23 runs is different than him seeing nine. If he sees nine runs on the board for his captain to get a hundred, he'll bat with a lot more confidence than if he sees 23 or 30 runs."

After one of Browne's trademark slog-sweeps over mid-wicket against off-spinner Nehemiah Perry, he followed with the more traditional sweep in the direction of square-leg.

Essayed off successive balls, both went for boundaries and there was another four off the other off-spinner Gareth Breese through extra-cover that took him to 95.

When Jamaica wrapped up the innings, Browne was left high and dry in an effort that lasted three-and-a-half hours and included eight boundaries.

This was a critical hundred for the hosts, but the captain still rates his maiden regional first-class century, which was made against a Leeward Islands attack that included Curtly Ambrose, as his best at this level.

"Three hundred and twenty-five is a very good total on this pitch. It will take a lot of effort in the field, but the way our guys are playing, they are very committed and I am sure they'll come out and do very well for their country," he said.

"The pitch now is doing a bit for the spinners. We'll try to plug Benn and Hurley in as quickly as possible and see what they can do."

Before Browne entered, Reifer was the backbone of Barbados' innings, his polished 61 following a century against India "A" last weekend.

He was, however, one of three batsmen whose soft dismissals allowed Jamaica to send Barbados from the relative comfort of 129 for three to 161 for six.

Both Kurt Wilkinson, who extended his overnight 32 to 45, and Dwayne Smith edged attempted cuts off left-arm spinner Ryan Cunningham, while Reifer gave a return catch to Breese to be dismissed for 61 off 154 balls.

For the first three hours, Jamaica relied almost exclusively on spin to the surprise of many who felt there might have been some assistance in the surface following overnight rain that delayed the start.

Franklyn Rose wasn't given the ball until after tea and Darren Powell sent down only two overs up until the day's second interval.

Scoreboard

BARBADOS 1st Innings (overnight 89-3)

P. Wallace c wk Hibbert b Rose 6

S. Campbell c Breese b Powell 0

K. Wilkinson c wk Hibbert b Cunningham 45

R. Hinds c wk Hibbert b Bernard 23

F. Reifer c and b Breese 61

D. Smith c Samuels b Cunningham 6

*+C. Browne not out 103

R. Hurley lbw b Perry 36

I.Bradshaw c wk Hibbert b Perry 20

T. Best c Parchment b Perry 1

S. Benn c Samuels b Perry 10

Extras (b4, lb1, w1, nb8) 14

TOTAL (all out) 325

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Campbell), 2-7 (Wallace), 3-49 (Reifer), 4-129 (Wilkinson), 5-141 (Smith), 6-162 (Reifer), 7-231 (Hurley), 8-282 (Bradshaw), 9-286 (Best), 10-325 (Benn).

Bowling: Rose 9-0-59-1 (nb6), Powell 8-2-44-1 (nb1), Bernard 12-3-44-1 (w1), Perry 30.2-6-80-2 (nb1), Breese 26-3-65-3, Cunningham 17-3-28-2.

JAMAICA 1st Innings

L. Garrick not out 19

B. Parchment not out 8

Extras (lb1, w1, nb2) 4

TOTAL (no wkt - 8 overs) 31

To bat: M. Ventura, D. Bernard, G. Breese, *R. Samuels, +K. Hibbert, N. Perry, F. Rose, D. Powell, R. Cunningham.

Bowling: Best 2-1-2-0, Bradshaw 4-0-22-0 (nb2, w1), Hurley 2-0-6-0.

Position: Jamaica need another 295 runs for first innings lead with all their wickets in hand ahead of today's third day.

Umpires: Clive Duncan (Guyana), Vincent Bullen (Barbados). Stand-by: Mervyn Jones (Barbados). Match referee: Carl Brome.