FILE
Breese ... led the way with four wickets.PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):
Daren Ganga starred with the bat for Trinidad & Tobago, and Gareth Breese led the way with the ball for Jamaica in the Carib Beer Series match yesterday at UWI, St. Augustine.
Ganga fell seven short of his 15th first-class hundred and Breese snared four wickets for 44 runs from 18 overs, as the hosts, sent in to bat, reached 201 for six when stumps were drawn on the opening day.
Ganga, who is eyeing a recall to the West Indies team during the upcoming season, hit half-dozen boundaries from 241 balls in 4-3/4 hours and featured in three important partnerships.
The T&T captain added 72 for the second wicket with opening batsman Tishan Maraj then gathered 38 with newcomer Jason Mohammed for the fifth wicket, and 46 with Denesh Ramdin for the sixth wicket.
Breese however, slowed T&T's progress with the wickets of Maraj for 31, Dwayne Bravo for two, Gregory Mahabir for two, and Mohammed for 18.
T&T suffered an early setback when Jerome Taylor bowled Lendl Simmons with a slower delivery in the first half-hour.
Ganga replaced Simmons and together with Maraj pushed the total to 47 for one at the lunch interval.
On resumption, Maraj, whose innings contained three fours from 117 balls in three hours, was snapped up at forward short leg to give Breese his first scalp.
This proved to be a purple patch for the Jamaicans. Breese had Bravo adjudged lbw and bowled Mahabir to leave the home team on a treacherous 97 for four.
Mohammed, who leaves later this month to captain the Young West Indies to the ICC Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka, joined Ganga, and looked very determined and solid.
After having the pleasure of lofting Breese for a six and a four, the little batsman was deceived in flight and bowled by the same bowler to restrict T&T to 135 for five.
Ganga was joined by Ramdin and together they started to gradually take control of the situation, but the T&T captain fell victim to a dubious lbw verdict off Marlon Samuels.
Ramdin, not out on 20, and Richard Kelly, not out on 16, helped T&T over the 200-run hump towards the end of the day.
Jamaica led Windward Islands on first innings points in the opening match last November and are joint leaders with Barbados on six points, while T&T are playing their first match.
