West Indies Domestic: Police one step from double

Repeat Division 1 kings Stansfeld Scott Police revealed the stuff champions are made of when they admirably defended a modest total to shackle United Carlton in their semi-final match and move one step closer to a coveted double triumph.

Sent in to bat on a slow pitch, Police folded for what appeared to be an inadequate score as only Man-Of-The-Match Brian Corbin, their youngest recruit, and inspirational skipper Leslie Reifer, to a lesser extent, displayed the necessary application.

Carlton?s bowlers, led by diminutive off-spinner Marlon Graham, who opened the bowling and came back towards the end of the innings to end with three for ten off 6.4 overs, kept the lawmen on a tight rein throughout.

Left-arm pacer Ryan Clarke endured a wretched day in the field and his three expensive wickets were not enough to compensate for two simple dropped catches which allowed Corbin to survive at 16 and 30 and progress to an invaluable 43 before he was run out.

Corbin, a tall right-hander, batted fairly fluently in his 68-ball knock, hitting one six and a four.

Shirley Clarke, also trundling off-breaks, picked up the wickets of Kenrick Marshall and wicket-keeper William Callender in mid-innings as Police declined from a reasonable position of 74 for three following a 35-run stand between Corbin and Rudolph Clarke to 96 for seven after 30 overs.

In response, Carlton started off at snail pace as Police?s new ball pair Marshall, who had the miserly figures of 8-4-8-1 and David ?DJ? Springer put on the handcuffs so tightly that the first ten overs not only yielded a mere 13 runs but also snared two early ?prisoners? in Jason Clarke and Jason Parris.

Carlton?s plight was not helped as Shirley Clarke laboured for 61 balls in crawling to nine before he was bowled by the evergreen Sylvester Louis, who in tandem with heavy-set left-arm spinner Desmond Linton stifled Carlton?s middle order.

Louis added the wickets of schoolboy Dwayne Smith and Orion Lewis while Linton got the prized wicket of Desmond Haynes when he won a lbw verdict against the former West Indies opener, who made 11 off 33 balls.

Linton also bowled the impetuous left-hander Sadiq Hill and at that stage the slugglish Carlton team were about to be sentenced at 45 for seven in the 27th over.

But Graham, who made a fighting 19 and wicket-keeper Jason King (19 not out), temporarily gave their side a stay of execution with an eighth-wicket stand of 29 in 6.3 overs.

The partnership was ended by a stupendous diving catch at long-off by Corbin who hauled in Graham?s lofted hit off Stanton Proverbs in both hands at full stretch as he moved to his left.

Proverbs, deputising as captain after Reifer limped off the field, duly had Hendy Broomes smartly stumped by Callender and his brother Ahmed Proverbs performed the final rites by bowling the adventurous Ryan Clarke, who added 20 for the last-wicket with King.

Only Cable and Wireless BET, who Police will meet in the championship final next Sunday, stand in the way of the rampaging officers as they hunt the double.