BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Title-holders Jamaica have set themselves up for a sixth straight win in the Regional first-class championship with two days left in their last round match against Combined Campuses and Colleges at the 3Ws Oval here yesterday. After gaining a first-innings lead of 63, Jamaica, the champions for the past four years and long assured of hosting a semi-final – their opponents will be Guyana – closed the second day on 164 for three in their second innings – an overall lead of 227.
The not-out batsmen were Danza Hyatt on 33 and skipper Tamar Lambert, eight, the pair having put on 45.
Donovan Pagon has so far top-scored with an enterprising 44, which came in 72 minutes off 59 balls with five boundaries before he was third out, leg-before-wicket to leg-spinner Akeem Dewar, who hails from Jamaica.
Jamaica were given a solid start of 55 in 14 overs by Brenton Parchment and Xavier Marshall before Marshall was stumped by Chadwick Walton, yet another Jamaican, off the tall Barbadian off-spinner Ryan Austin, for 23.
Parchment and Pagon then put on 50 in 16.1 overs before Parchment was caught off the glove at gully by substitute Raymon Reifer off Dewar for 41. He batted for two hours, faced 94 deliveries and struck four fours and one six.
Dewar has two for 50 off 16 overs.
Earlier, starting the day on 46 for three, CCC, who have had an indifferent season after finishing runners-up last year, were bowled out for 137 off 54.4 overs in reply to Jamaica’s first innings total of 200 all out. The innings ended 42 minutes after lunch.
Jamaican Shacaya Thomas, who went to the crease at No.3, extended his overnight 24 to 78 before he was last out, caught by wicketkeeper Horace Miller off left-arm spinner Nikita Miller. Thomas batted for 218 minutes, faced 158 balls and struck four fours and one six.
Nikita Miler took three for 28; medium-pacer David Bernard, two for 14, leg-spinner Odean Brown, two for 23 and pacer Andrew Richardson, two for 25.
CCC suffered an early setback at the start of the day when Nekoli Parris was bowled by Bernard after adding just one to his overnight score of ten.
Off the very next ball, veteran Floyd Reifer’s poor form with the bat continued as he was caught by Horace Miller to leave CCC on 60 for five.
Thomas, batting with confidence, led a recovery in a 32-run stand with Jason Holder who made 16. He was caught at slip by Lambert off Nikita Miller.
Brown soon bowled Kevin McClean for four and also had Dewar leg-before-wicket for one, while Nikita Miller removed Dawes for three to a catch at cover by Parchment.