WI Championship: Red Force take control at Coolidge

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Red Force put themselves in dominant position against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the end of play on yesterday’s opening day of the West Indies Championship.

Spinners Bryan Charles and Khary Pierre took three wickets apiece to help skittle out the Hurricanes for 138. T&T then made a strong reply to close in on first-innings points.

At Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua: Offspinner Bryan Charles and left-arm spinner Khary Pierre ripped through the Leeward Islands Hurricanes’ lower order to rout them for a paltry 138 and put the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in total command.

Openers Evin Lewis and Cephas Cooper then batted cautiously to carry their side to 62 without loss at the end of play, as T&T ended the day trailing by just 76 runs.

T&T’s fast-bowling trio of Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip and Terrance Hinds were responsible for the early damage to the Hurricanes’ innings after they won the toss and opted to bowl.

Phillip struck in the day’s second over by having Mikyle Louis caught for a duck, before Hinds accounted for the wicket of Kadeem Henry for 11.

Seales then bowled the dangerous Jewel Andrew for 27 and Pierre rattled the stumps of skipper Justin Greaves for seven, to reduce the Hurricanes to 59 for four.

Seales then returned to trap Keacy Carty leg before wicket for 18 and Pierre grabbed his second wicket by dismissing Jeremiah Louis for a duck, to see them fall into further despair at 87 for six.

It took a fighting knock of 44 from Jahmar Hamilton to get them up to their eventual score. Hamilton joined forces with Rahkeem Cornwall to add 48 runs for the seventh wicket.

But once the latter was dismissed for a stubborn 15 off 67 balls, the Hurricanes lost their last four wickets for a mere three runs.

Charles ended with 3-9, Pierre took 3-34, while Seales grabbed 2-31.

At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua: Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie grabbed six wickets for defending champs Guyana Harpy Eagles, who are locked in an even contest with the Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Led by a knock of 95 from Ackeem Auguste and a heroic effort by their lower order, the Volcanoes were dismissed for a competitive 286 in 86.1 overs after being sent in to bat.

Having to navigate a solitary over before the end of play, the Harpy Eagles closed on two without loss.

The Volcanoes would have been eyeing a bigger total, though, given their promising start.

Pacer Keemo Paul struck early by dismissing Stephan Pascal with just seven runs on the board, but Kavem Hodge joined Auguste at the crease to solidify the innings in a 79-run partnership.

The Volcanoes looked to be coasting at 86 for one, but medium-pacer Nial Smith had Hodge caught for 31 and Paul dismissed captain Alick Athanaze for one, to see them slip to 87 for three.

Auguste and Sunil Ambris stemmed the flow of wickets during a 61-run stand for the fourth wicket that steadied the ship and carried them to a relatively healthy score of 148 for three.

But the loss of four wickets for 55 runs, including that of Auguste, who fell agonisingly short of a century after facing 117 runs and striking 12 fours, brought the Harpy Eagles back into the match.

Motie was solely responsible for the collapse, snaring the wickets of Ambris for 30, Auguste, Shadrack Descarte for 15 and Noelle Leo for a duck.

They would have been hoping to restrict their opponents to under 250 after reducing them to 203 for seven, but knocks of 42 from Ryan John, 35 from Darron Nedd, and 18 from Kenneth Dember ensured the Volcanoes got up to a decent target.

Motie ended with the impressive figures of 6-73, while Paul took 2-27.