Corbin, McClean lead CCC recovery on first day
(In Barbados, compliments of:Giftland, P&P Insurance, Lifetime Realty and Kei-shar’s Gift Shoppe)
TWENTY-year-old Kyle Corbin and 23 year-old Kevin McClean displayed stout resistance to Guyana’s bowling for their team Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) at the end of the first day of their sixth round West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional four-day match at the 3Ws Oval yesterday. Guyana, who have failed to win any of their five matches so far, despite taking first innings points from defending champions Jamaica and Barbados, won the toss and invited their hosts to take first strike on a fast track, and reduced them to 3-2 after four overs, but thanks to Corbin (96) and McClean 52 not out, CCC reached 251 before they were bowled out in the 83rd over of the day.
Asked to bat five overs to complete the day’s play, Guyana, for whom skipper Assad Fudadin (4-42), Veerasammy Permaul (3-33) and Ronsford Beaton (2-25) did the damage with the ball in CCC’s innings, reached 11-1 at the close, needing a further 241 for first innings points with nine wickets in hand.
Earlier in the day, the Guyanese got immediate success with the first ball of the match, with Brandon Bess (1-37) who played one Test match for the West Indies against South Africa last year, knocking back the leg stump of CCC’s skipper Omar Phillips off the inside edge.
More drama followed for the University students, when 19-year-old Beaton, who bowled with pace and control on a fast track, induced Romel Currency to edge a delivery to Fudadin at third slip in the second over, to leave CCC on 3-2.
But Corbin fought back for CCC by hitting Beaton for two fours in one over, including a lovely on-drive to long on, followed by a four to third man off Bess in the following over that pushed his score to 18 and CCC 23-2 in the seventh over.
Shacaya Thomas (10) who was an innocent bystander at the non-strikers end was struck in the groin by Beaton, who was later struck for a four and pulled over midwicket for six by Corbin, as CCC reached 39 for 2 after the first hour’s play, with Corbin on 28 and Thomas 6.
Fudadin replaced Bess at the Southern End and after being hit by Thomas through extra cover for four, responded by having the batsman caught by Ramdeen after facing 24 balls and batting for 64 minutes while hitting two fours during his third wicket partnership with Corbin that accumulated 40 runs for CCC.
Fours struck by Corbin off successive deliveries from Bess, raised CCC’s 50  off 11.4 overs and 75 minutes batting, before Corbin was caught by Vishal Singh at mid on off a Bess no-ball, much to the dismay of both Bess and Guyana.
Spin in the form of West Indies ‘A’ team left-arm orthodox spinner Permaul was introduced in the 14th over and was struck by Corbin back over his head for six that pushed the batsman to 44, before Corbin reached his 50 off 59 balls and 97 minutes batting, hitting seven fours and two sixes and at lunch, CCC were 86-3 with Corbin on 56 and Floyd Reifer 13.
After lunch, CCC posted their 100 from 28.2 overs with Corbin on 58 and Reifer, who replaced his cousin Raymond Reifer on the evening of the match, on 26, which included an authoritative front-foot drive off Narsingh Deonarine, who was preferred ahead of Zaheer Mohammed.
The 38-year-old Reifer, who was given a life by wicketkeeper Derwin Christian off Fudadin when on 6, struck Deonarine for successive fours in the third over after lunch, as CCC progressed to 116-3, a remarkable improvement after being 3-2.
Guyana got success in the seventh over after lunch, when Reifer lost his leg stump to an inside edge from a Fudadin delivery for 37 which took him 54 balls and was decorated with five fours, batting for 84 minutes, in which time he added 73 for the fourth wicket with Corbin who was on 61.
Fudadin struck again when he removed Nkrumah Bonner (3) who was caught at the wicket by Christian, but Corbin inched closer to his second first class ton, with two lovely drives off a tired-looking Fudadin who bowled 16 consecutive overs, that pushed his score to 81 and CCC 149-5.
Corbin moved into the 90s with successive sixes over long on, off Permaul, but in his attempt to clear Bess at long on, having done so the previous delivery, he picked out the lanky fielder. He faced 134 balls and batting for 198 minutes, hitting 10 fours and four sixes in his 96.
Permaul removed Jamal Smith (9) and Carlos Braithwaite (3) in quick succession after dismissing Corbin and at tea, CCC who were 86-3 at lunch, were 180-8, with Kevin McClean 9 and Ryan Austin (20) yet to score, losing five wickets including the prized Corbin, for 94 runs.
After tea, McClean who batted a total of 127 minutes and faced 88 balls with three fours for his 52 and Austin frustrated Guyana with their eighth-wicket partnership for CCC, with McClean getting his second half-century at this level from 84 balls and hitting three fours. CCC moved to 249-8, a total that seemed impossible after being 179-8 at one stage.
Fudadin took a magnificent catch at second slip to remove Austin who tried to steer Beaton to third man. CCC were on 250-9, but most importantly for Guyana, they brought an end to the ninth-wicket partnership between the outgoing batsman and McClean, that realised 71 runs for their team, before Fudadin trapped Kavesh Kantasingh lbw without scoring to leave McClean unbeaten on 52.