West Indies Local: Spartan spin duo snare YMPC

The inability of some batsmen to cope with spin bowling was again cruelly exposed as Ellerslie graduates Sulieman Benn and Dave Marshall spun Big B Spartan to a comfortable victory over Dewars White Label Whiskey YMPC yesterday.

Benn, a lanky left-armer, captured five for 40 and Marshall bagged four for 25 with his leg-breaks as YMPC, set a modest 152 for victory in a minimum 35 overs, were mesmerised on an easy-paced pitch.

YMPCs innings lasted a mere 98 minutes as the batsmen fell like nine-pins in 21.5 overs with only Terry Rollock (27), Roger Coward (20) and Leon Layne (19) making more than five runs.

Benn now has a season-high 48 wickets, while Marshall, in his first match of the season following a successful maiden professional league season in England, ended with match figures of 12 for 56.

Earlier, Spartan, resuming from 57 for two overweek, slipped to 88 for six, but the last four wickets added 61 runs to beef up the Parkites total.

Rollock, also bowling leg-breaks, was the chief wrecker with six for 39 in 11 overs on a day in which 16 of the 18 wickets to fall were snared by the spinners.

After Spartan lost Corey Yearwood in the days first over, Livy Puckerin pushed his seasons aggregate to 522 runs in a knock of 34.

Rollock then captured the last six wickets, despatching captain Kerry Lucas (12) and Ryan Burke (two) with successive deliveries and later claiming both Rowehan Walcott (13) and Marshall (14) after a critical 28-run seventh-wicket stand.

Benn and Hattian Graham, who executed a classic cover-drive and cleared the boundary with a powerful straight hit off Rollock, also contributed valuable runs before Rollock wrapped up the innings.