WI local: BET bat set for third straight ton

In-form Cable & Wireless BET batsman Adrian Brathwaite is within five runs of completing the rare distinction of scoring three Division 1 centuries in successive matches. On a day in which defending champions Stansfeld Scott Police were unable to field a team for the second straight match, Brathwaite hit an unbeaten 95 against Big B Spartan yesterday.

At Queen's Park (C&W BET 251-8 v Spartan): Brathwaite, who came in to bat at No. 5 with the score 71 for three, hit nine fours and a six and shared a 73-run, sixth-wicket stand with captain Brian Johnson.

The early part of the BET innings was held together by Don O'Neal, who made 56.

At Kensington Oval (Pickwick 141 v Maple): Veteran pacer Emmerson Jordan made good use of friendly bowling conditions to undermine ESA Field Pickwick with figures of five for 62 on a slow, rainaffected pitch.

Jordan started Pickwick's problems from the first delivery of the match which produced the wicket of in-form left-hander George Harris.

He added the - wickets of Rondell Yearwood, Graham Bethell, Hendy Hinds and Tennyson Roach.

At Beckles Road (Schools North 71 & 40-1; YMPC 115-3 dec): YMPC took an early grip on the match as captain William Lashley picked up six for 21 to restrict the schoolboys.

The home team made a bold declaration in the final hour after securing a 44-run first-innings lead on a rain-affected pitch.

Roger Coward (41) and Wendell Coppin (45) steered the innings with an unfinished fourth-wicket partnership of 86 that allowed YMPC to recover from 29 for three.

At stumps, the schoolboys were bravely fighting off the YMPC attack and were 40 for one.

At Harrison College (BCL 106, Schools South 78-0): A solid unbroken opening start of 78 between Dion Lovell (39) and Martin Nurse (33) enabled CHIC Schools South to maintain their grip on their match against BCL.

Having won the toss, they invited BCL to bat and proceeded to remove three BCL batsmen for 29 before Randy Thomas found a useful partner in Kamal Turney to stabilise the innings.

At Bayfield (Emp[ire 169-7 v St. Catherine): Roland Holder hit a solid half-century but BNB St. Catherine restricted ICB Empire on a day of slow scoring.

Holder, who made 57 in 149 minutes off 91 balls, got valuable support from all-rounder Robin Parris with 31 as the pair added 57 for the fifth wicket.

Fast bowler Joseph Williams, who removed Jason Haynes and Shawn Graham in consecutive overs to reduce Empire to 36 for three, added Holder's wicket to be St. Catherine's most successful with three for 58.

At the Brewery (Banks 160, Wanderers 5-0): A five-wicket haul by Cockspur Wanderers medium-pacer Chris Humphrey triggered a middle-order collapse which left Banks wandering at a total less than they expected.

The decision by Wanderers captain Ian Bradshaw to send in the home team on a slow pitch appeared to be fruitless when Banks were cruising at 148 for three, with big innings from Richard Carter with 65 and Orion Bostic with 54.