CHARLESTOWN, Nevis (CMC) – Workmanlike half-centuries from Kevin Stoute and Jason Haynes helped Barbados across the threshold to first innings points over Combined Campuses & Colleges in the WICB regional first-class championship yesterday.
Stoute, batting at No.6, stroked his way to the top score of 74, and Haynes carved out 52, as Barbados, replying to CCC’s first innings total of 213, were dismissed for 301 about 20 minutes after the scheduled close on the second day of their second round match at Grove Park.
To their credit, CCC fought back in the final session in which they removed Barbados’ last five wickets for 42 runs.
Off-spinner Ryan Austin led the comeback to end with four wickets for 87 runs from 30 overs, while leg-spinner Gavin Wallace, playing his first match of the season, collected three for 57 from 15 overs.
Resuming on 33 for one, Barbados owed their promising early position to a second-wicket partnership of 74 between Haynes and nightwatchman Nikolai Charles, who made 20.
Shamarh Brooks made 33, captain Ryan Hinds got 29, and Tino Best added 28 to also help before the Barbadians slipped up in the final session.
At the start of the day, Haynes played soundly, hitting four fours and two sixes in an innings in which he faced 123 balls.
Barbados appeared to be heading to lunch without losing a wicket in the first session, when Charles offered no shot to a delivery from Wallace and was lbw for 20.
The left-handed Haynes departed shortly after lunch and Wallace achieved a third successive lbw decision, when he had Kirk Edwards dismissed essaying a cross-batted stroke.
Hinds, Barbados’ premier batsman, who is yet to get among the runs this season, added 51 with Stoute for the fifth wicket, and Barbados also benefited from a sixth-wicket partnership of 70 between Stoute and Brooks.
The stage appeared to have been set for Barbados going on to get a big lead, but Austin trashed their plans, when he polished off the lower order.
Barbados fell away after Stoute edged a catch to slip off left-arm spinner Kavesh Kantasingh after facing 104 balls from which he struck nine fours.
CCC are the early joint leaders along with Jamaica on 12 points, following a 151-run victory over Trinidad & Tobago in the opening round at Jarrett Park in Jamaica.
Barbados are fourth on three points, after they conceded first innings points in their drawn opening match against Leeward Islands in the first round at Kensington Park also in Jamaica.