By Anthony Foster, Freelance WriterBOWLERS again stood out on the first day of second Jamaica Cricket Association's (JCA) four-day practice match in preparation for the 2002 regional first class cricket competition.
On a pitch which held little terrors for batsmen off-spinner Nicarlo McFarlane (3-25 from 16 overs) left-arm spinner Ryan Cunningham (2-28 off 16 overs), Dwight Washington (1-10) and Frankyln Rose (1-16) combined to reduce Robert Samuels' XI to 181 for seven against Rose's XI at Kensington Park.
The only positive batting display came when Maurice Kepple (56) and skipper Samuels (42) shared in a 95-run fourth wicket stand after Rose, Washington and Cunningham had taken a wicket each to reduce them to 55 for three.
Deputising for Gareth Breese who is resting an injured knee, Rose won the toss and asked Samuels' XI to take first strike. However, with the score on 18, 16-year-old Xavier Marshall (five) edged Rose to wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert and six runs later, inform Donovan Pagon (zero) edged to Shawn Findlay at second slip off Washington.
Kepple joined Leon Garrick and the two took the score past 50, but as the latter started to look comfortable, Tamar Lambert took a controversial first slip catch off Cunningham to dismiss the Jamaican opener. Garrick went for 31.
At that time Kepple and Samuels took over, with the latter hitting two sixes and four fours before he gave McFarlane his first wicket, caught by Cunningham at mid-wicket. Kepple, playing on his home ground struck two sixes and one four before he left at bat pad to McFarlane.
Carlton Baugh Jr. (16) and Matthew Sinclair (four) were the other batsmen to be dismissed, leaving Nehemiah Perry (one) to continue the fight when play begin at 10:00 a.m. this morning.
