Hosein ten-for sets up T&T win

Twenty-year-old left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein picked up his maiden ten-wicket haul to help Trinidad & Tobago comfortably beat Windward Islands in the Regional Four Day Competition. Hosein's 6 for 33 in the first innings was instrumental in earning T&T a 100-run lead and he backed it up with another strong performance, taking 5 for 34 in the second which gave T&T its first win.

Put in to bat, T&T were struck early blows before Adrian Barath and Jason Mohammad stabilised the innings with a 68-run stand for the third wicket. Barath was caught behind for 39 off Delorn Johnson, but Mohammed added another critical 55 with Stephen Katwaroo. The innings though slumped once Katwaroo was dismissed by Alston Bobb. T&T lost four wickets for 13, all to Bobb, including that of Mohammed for 79 and only some late order contributions lifted them to 222.

Windward Islands had no answers to the spin of Hosein though as after an opening stand of 38, the team collapsed against his left-arm spin. Apart from Dwayne Smith, who was unbeaten on 48, none of the batsmen offered any resistance and the team was bowled out for 122.

Darren Bravo then ensured T&T didn't lose the advantage by scoring a gritty 69 off 188 balls. He was the eighth batsmen to be dismissed, but by that time, the lead had already swelled to 267. T&T were bowled out for 210 eventually, setting up a 311-run target. Windward Islands did marginally better in their second innings, scoring two more runs than the first, as they crumbled to a heavy defeat. As in the first innings, Hosein, who was playing only his third first-class match, did bulk of the damage and no one except Smith stood up to the challenge.

Carlos Brathwaite's four wickets in the second innings led Barbados' efforts on the final day that saw them bowl Guyana out for 94 and complete a 136-run win. Brathwaite, who didn't bowl in the first innings, accounted for four of the first five wickets to fell that reduce Guyana to 43 for 5 in chase of 231. The trend continued as Ashley Nurse and Sulieman Benn shared the remaining five wickets to dismiss Guyana in the 43rd over.

In a low-scoring match, only two fifties were scored and none of the team could cross the 200-run mark. One of those half-centuries came from Barbados No. 3 Roston Chase, who revived the team from 58 for 4 to 132 for 6 before falling to Raun Johnson for 55. Veerasammy Permaul picked up three wickets in his 15th over to end Barbados' innings on 184.

Guyana made a strong start to their innings with a 92-run stand for the first wicket between Sewnarine Chattergoon and Tagnarine Chanderpaul. But Nurse cut through the top, picking up the wicket of Chattergoon and Assad Fudadin off successive deliveries. That triggered a remarkable collapse as Guyana lost the whole of the side within 48 runs, handing Barbados a 44-run lead. Benn ran through the bottom half to end up with 5 for 26.

Barbados' second innings response was similar to their first as some useful contributions by the top order ensured they crossed 150 before eventually being bowled out for 186. Devendra Bishoo, the legspinner, was the pick of the bowlers with his 5 for 70, the bowler's first five-for this season. But on a pitch on which the highest total in the three innings was 186, a target of 231 proved to be too strong.