Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
Barbados' opening batsman Dale Richards celebrates his century during their Carib Beer Series match against Jamaica at Chedwin Park yesterday. Richards scored 159. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
When the second day's play of the regional four-day Carib Beer series cricket match between Jamaica and Barbados ended at Chedwin Park yesterday, the home team, bubbling with confidence a few days ago, was in serious trouble and on the run.
When bad light stopped play with eight overs remaining, the scoreboard read, Jamaica 132 and 81 for five with David Bernard Jnr. on 11 and Jaime Trenchfield on six; Barbados 298 - thanks to a wonderful century innings of 159 by Dale Richards. And with Jamaica still 85 runs in arrears with only five second innings wickets in hand, with two days to go, it appears, for the home team, all over bar the shouting.
Apart from Corey Collymore's haul of six for 30 off 12.1 overs on the first day, Barbados owed their commanding position to opening batsman Richards who, following on his 127 versus Guyana in Guyana at Everest CC in the 2005/06 season, ticked off his second first-class century with the highest score of his 29-match career.
Resuming on 74 after facing a mere 68 deliveries and smashing 13 fours on the opening day, the 30-year-old Richards continued on his merry way until 36 minutes before tea when he eased forward to left-arm spinner Nikita Miller and was leg before wicket at 274 for eight, after batting for 323 minutes, facing 219 deliveries and blasting two sixes and 18 fours.
FAILING TO IMPRESS
With Lawson, whose figures read, two for 56 off seven overs overnight, failing to impress while conceding another 44 runs off 9.3 overs while picking up one wicket, with fast bowler Andrew Richardson bowling only four overs during the day, with right-arm leg-spinner Odean Brown having difficulty bowling a good length, and with Miller bowling a tidy length but failing to trouble the batsmen, Jamaica turned to Tamar Lambert, and the part-time off-spinner obliged with some fine bowling and the splendid figures of four for 44 off 21 overs.
In five overs before lunch, Lambert flighted the ball, dropped it almost on a perfect length, and got it to spin while taking two wickets for six runs.
In a performance which must have made the selectors regret the decision not to play specialist off-spinner Bevan Brown on his home ground and against Barbados at that, Lambert, flighting the ball well, handed the home team their first wicket of the day and proceeded to better his previous best of two wickets for six runs against Barbados at Sabina Park in 2004.
PICKED UP WICKETS
With Miller keeping things tight at the other end and picking up two wickets for 50 off 23 overs, Barbados were never allowed to run wild as Jamaica, but for an eighth-wicket stand of 63 between Richards and Tino Best, picked up wickets at regular intervals.
Trailing by 166 runs, Jamaica lost Danza Hyatt for zero in the first over of their second innings when the batsman, playing forward to Pedro Collins, edged the left-hander to first slip where Reifer took the catch.
They lost captain Wavell Hinds for 11 at 51 for two when the left-handed batsman, playing defensively to Stoute, edged the ball and was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Carlos Morris going way to his left.
They also lost Parchment for 36 at 51 for three when the batsman, playing to leg, was leg before wicket to Collymore.
Lambert, with the light getting dark, carelessly uppercut a short delivery from Best straight to Collymore on the thirdman boundary and walked away for 10 at 65 for four, and two overs later, Baugh, two, drove a return catch to Collymore and made it 75 for five.
SCOREBOARD
JAMAICA 1st Innings 132
BARBADOS 1st Innings
(overnight 120-3)
D. Richards lbw b Miller 159
W. Blackman c Hinds b Lawson 11
K. Stoute b Brown 19
R. Austin b Lawson 2
F. Reifer lbw b Lambert 32
*R. Hinds c wkp Baugh b Lambert 1
A. Holder c Bernard b Miller 9
+C. Morris c wk Baugh b Lambert 0
T. Best c Bernard b Lambert 27
P. Collins b Lawson 20
C. Collymore not out 5
Extras (lb3, nb10) 13
TOTAL (all out, 88.3 overs) 298
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-104, 3-107, 4-187, 5-191, 6-212, 7-213, 8-274, 9-276, 10-298.
Bowling: Lawson 16.3-0-100-3 (nb8), Richardson 6-0-21-0, Bernard 5-0-26-0 (nb2), Lambert 21-2-44-4, Brown 18-1-54-1, Miller 23-3-50-2.
JAMAICA 2nd Innings
B. Parchment lbw b Collymore 36
D. Hyatt c Reifer b Collins 0
*W. Hinds c wkp Morris b Stoute 11
T. Lambert c Collymore b Best 10
D. Bernard not out 11
+C. Baugh c and b Collymore 2
J. Trenchfield not out 6
Extras (lb1, nb4)5
TOTAL (5 wkts, 20 overs) 81
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-51, 3-51, 4-65, 5-75.
Bowling: Collins 7-5-11-1, Best 6-0-41-1 (nb4), Stoute 2-0-9-1, Collymore 5-0-19-2.
Position: Jamaica trail by 85 runs with six wickets in hand.
Umpires: Cecil Fletcher, Goaland Greaves.
