Jamaica: Rain, badlight hit County Cricket Championship (17 Aug 1998)

17 August 1998

Rain, badlight hit County Cricket Championship

The Jamaica Gleaner

All three matches in the county championships ended in no decision yesterday as first rain then badlight halted play in all three matches.

Delroy Taylor hit a patient 108 to steer St. Catherine Cricket Club to a respectable 226 for three in reply to Melbourne's 380 all out.

Taylor and Tony Powell featured in a big 156-run partnership which lifted St. Catherine from 24 for one when Milton Thomas was out, to 180.

Taylor and Powell punished anything loose as their team went for tea at 119 for one. The partnership blossomed further after rain stopped play for 64 minutes after lunch.

Powell's hard hitting knock came to an end when he was caught by Donovan Pagon off spinner Dwayne Cooper for a well-played 72. He batted for 167 minutes, faced 122 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes with his 50 coming in 139 minutes.

Taylor went on to reach his century, made in 159 minutes off 218 balls. He hit twelve fours and two sixes and faced 168 balls. The game was called off after four of the 15 mandatory overs. Colin Stuart took two for 65 off 15 overs.

Earlier Melbourne, resuming at 328 for five, added a further 52 runs for the loss of their last five wickets. Marlon Samuels made 50, Shane Ford 37 and Ray Stewart 20.

The pick of the bowlers were Audley Sanson with three for 60 off 21 overs, Oneil Richards three for 75 off 25 overs and West Indies fast bowler Mervyn Dillon with two for 93 off 24 overs.

Scores: Lucas 238 from 81 overs; Surrey 88 for two after just 19.2 overs.

Lucas and Surrey had to be content with one point each after rain aborted an interesting battle for first innings ten minutes before lunch.

Lucas added just another 34 runs to their overnight 204 with former Jamaica Under-19 pacer Dwight Mais taking three for 44, former West Indies pacer Patterson Thompson two for 38 and spinner Bryan Murphy two for 25.

Oneil Cruickshank completed a half century hitting three sixes and one four in his 52. He shared in a stand of 85 with Casper Davis before both went in similar fashion stumped wicketkeeper Junior Murray off leg spinner Bryan Murphy. Davis made 37.

The unbeaten batsmen for Surrey were opener Raymond Ferguson on 44 and Richard Smith seven. Wavell Hinds made zero and Mario Ventura 32.

Scores: Cornwall 263 (Kerron Baker 57, Everton Coach 38, Owen Graham 36, Anthony Andrews 36; Maurice Cole 3 for 23, Pedro Collins 3 for 39; Middlesex 199 for five (Howard Harris 113; Cassius Burton 2 for 48, Kamal Dennis 2 for 41).

Howard Harris struck a boundary-studded century for Middlesex but it was not enough to gain first innings lead for his team in the rain-affected game against Cornwall. His 113 made from just 55 balls in 94 minutes included nine sixes and ten fours.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)