Windwards sweep aside CCC
CAVE HILL, Barbados, , (CMC) – Spinners Shane Shillingford and Rawl Lewis grabbed four wickets each as the Windward Islands swept aside Combined Colleges & Campuses (CCC) and surged to a nine-wicket victory inside three days of their third-round WICB Regional first class match yesterday.

After reducing the home side to a sub-200 second-innings total, the Windwards — set 71 to win – sped to 71 for one for a handsome victory at the Three Ws Oval, rebounding from their first-round loss to Jamaica.

Off-spinner Shillingford claimed four for 57 while veteran Lewis snared four for 43 with his leg-spin as CCC, resuming on 38 for two, tumbled for 198 all out in their second innings.

Only captain Floyd Reifer, who rediscovered some form in a punchy topscore of 71, managed much resistance.

Wicket-keeper Chadwick Walton survived two chances in a charmed 34.

The visitors raced to their modest victory target of 71 off 12.5 overs as Man- of- the- Match Devon Smith followed his first innings 122 with a dazzling 44 off 34 balls.

The Windwards struck in the day’s second over to derail any thoughts of a CCC fightback.

Nekoli Parris drove at Darren Sammy and nicked to the medium pacer to wicket-keeper Lyndon James at 39 for three.

Nightwatchman Ryan Austin helped Reifer put on 28 for the fourth wicket before he played a rash swish at Shillingford and was bowled for 18.

Shillingford soon added the scalp of Romel Currency, his former team-mate, as the CCC slumped to 79 for five before lunch.

Currency looked all at sea to the clever 26-year-old and, after being dropped at backward short leg, was eventually held in the same position off the glove.

Reifer and Omar Phillips, sufficiently recovered from a blow to the right forearm, forged a rearguard either side of the break.

The two left-handers added 50 before Lewis struck to remove Phillips (13) to a low slip catch to Smith.

As Reifer began to grow in stature, there was more resistance as Walton shook off two early chances, on 4 and 25, to play with typical flourish.

The Windwards were beginning to rue the misses by Donwell Hector at silly point off Lewis and by Kenroy Peters at long-on off Shillingford when Walton finally perished to the off-spinner.

The Jamaican tried to sweep but only found glove and wicket-keeper James dived forward on the leg side to break a stand of 54.

Next over, Lewis claimed the big wicket of Reifer, also to a miscued sweep to James, although he indicated it took him on the shoulder. Reifer hit eight fours off 194 balls in four hours, 11 minutes.

The tail folded swiftly as Kevin McClean edged to slip off Lewis, who then hauled in a magnificent high, one-handed return catch to remove Kavesh Kantasingh and end the innings.

Set 71 to win, and with 15 overs remaining in the day, Smith cracked five fours and an upper cut for six to put his team in cruise control.

He fell to a Jason Bennett full toss before the end, but the young pair of Tyrone Theophile and Andre Fletcher ushered in the win with no more alarms.

The Windwards and the CCC both have 12 points now but the Windwards have only played two matches to the CCC’s three.