Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
JUNIOR DOWIE, Staff Photographer -
Jamaica's fast bowler Jerome Taylor reacts after dismissing Leeward Islands all-rounder Runako Morton (left) during their regional Carib Beer Series clash at Kaiser Sports Club. Taylor won the Man-of-the-Match award after an eight-wicket haul, which included a five-for in the first innings.
JAMAICA MADE a winning start in their hunt for top honours in the 2005 Carib Beer cricket series when, as expected, at the end of the third day's play, they defeated the Leeward Islands at the Kaiser Sports Club in Discovery Bay yesterday.
Contrary to the promise of an exciting finish when play ended on Sunday, however, it was easy pickings for the home team as the visitors, set a target of 309 for victory and starting the day still needing another 293 with eight wickets intact for what would have been a surprising victory, were shot out for 132 and lost by 176 runs.
The victory handed Jamaica, winners on first innings, the maximum 12 points and the early lead in the race for the title.
Final score: Jamaica 188 and 270, the Leeward Islands 150 and 132.
CORNERED
Cornered by fast bowlers Jerome Taylor three for 14 off nine overs, and Daren Powell - two for 25 off 12, medium-pacer David Bernard Jnr. two for 25 off 8.1, and right-arm legspinner Odean Brown three for 22 off 10, the Leeward Islands batsmen, including the injured Stuart Williams who batted at number eight, and Ridley Jacobs who batted at number seven, surrendered meekly on a pitch that was as awkward as it was on the first two days and again at the end of the third day. With eight wickets falling for 116 runs in 38.1 overs, the match was over shortly after lunch.
And but for substitute Bevan Brown's failure to accept a catch an embarrassment that led to a fighting but futile seventh-wicket partnership of 58 off 21 overs between Jacobs and Williams, it could have been over earlier, probably much earlier.
With the Leeward Islands reeling at 74 for six in the 20th over after dropping from 44 for two to 57 for six in three overs, Williams, after hitting left-arm spinner Nikita Miller over long-off for six and after greeting Brown with a cracking shot to mid-wicket, swung at the legspinner, and with the ball flying high so high that the bowler had time to turn and take the catch, the usually confident Bevan Brown trotted in from mid-on, got under the ball, and to the surprise of everyone and certainly so to the bowler and the other Jamaicans, stopped dead in his tracks as the ball fell harmlessly between himself and the bowler.
THE HIGHEST TOTAL
Resuming at 16 for two and needing to post the highest total of the match in order to win it, or to bat for 103 overs in order to save it, the Leeward Islands, represented by overnight batsmen Runako Morton and Sylvester Joseph, were under pressure from the start so much so that with the ball bouncing awkwardly, sometimes jumping at the batsmen from a good length and sometimes running along the pitch after hitting it, with Powell hitting Morton on the glove and Taylor hitting Joseph in the region of his groin, with Powell and Taylor bowling accurately on a good length and on or about the offstump, it was surprising that Jamaica did not pick up an early wicket or two.
At 10.20, however, 50 minutes after the early start, Jamaica struck.
Bowling from the south, Man-of-the-Match Taylor added to his two wickets overnight when, in the morning's 11th over, he bowled Morton off his bat for 15 at 44 for three as the right-hander went back and knocked the ball onto his stumps.
GOOD BOWLING
After failing to pick up a wicket despite bowling well, Powell made it 54 for four and 54 for five with successive deliveries in the 12th over when Joseph, on eight, went back and cut a short delivery head-high to Donovan Pagon at point; and when he trapped Omari Banks plumb in front of his stumps with a well-pitched delivery.
In the following over Bernard, replacing Taylor, made it 57 for six when Tonito Willett followed up a lovely square-cut for two with an attempted off-drive and edged a catch to a delighted Shawn Findlay at second slip.
Thanks to Bevan Brown, with the experienced Jacobs supporting the also experienced but more daring Williams, the Leeward Islands went to lunch without further loss.
After the interval, however, it was all over in 32 minutes as Jamaica picked up the remaining four wickets in 5.1 overs.
In the first over, Williams went at a well-flighted delivery from Brown and Powell took a comfortable catch coming off the long-off boundary.
That was 115 for seven and a few overs later, the left-handed Carl Simon drove a return catch to Brown that made it 129 for eight.
Although Jacobs was still there at that time, only rain could have saved the Leeward Islands. With only a clear blue sky above, however, there was not even a hint of rain, and just like the one that caused the downfall of Williams, the stroke that led to the demise of Jacobs suggested that the Leeward Islands had resigned to their fate.
The end came 12 minutes later when Jacobs, on 32, swung at Brown and Bernard took a simple catch at cover; and when Bernard trapped Adam Sanford leg before wicket for one to make it one out of one for Jamaica's captain Tamar Lambert, the 23-year-old who, as a youngster, led Jamaica to victory in the regional Under-15 tournament and the regional Under 19 limited-over tournament.
