BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – Raewin Senior’s hundred put Jamaica in charge of their third round game in the Regional Under-19 Championship against Trinidad and Tobago, but the reigning champions were fighting back on the second day at Molineaux.
Senior carved out a wonderful 120 as Jamaica were dismissed for 251 in their first innings, to secure a crucial 98-run lead.
At the close, however, T&T were rallying on 95 for two – just three runs shy of cancelling out their deficit.
Resuming the day on 106 for seven in reply to T&T’s 153, Jamaica flourished through the efforts of Senior, while David Bird supported with an invaluable 35.
Senior, starting on 26, played well to strike 12 fours and two sixes in an innings spanning 206 deliveries and four hours.
Bird, meanwhile, converted his overnight three into 35, an innings that required 78 balls and included a single four.
Together, they added 96 for the eighth wicket to frustrate the Trinidadians and carve out an important lead.
When they were separated, Senior found an ally in number 11 Kishawn Graham (9 not out) to put on 41 for the last wicket.
Left-arm spinner Justyn Gangoo failed to add to his overnight tally and finished with three for 33 while off-spinners Avinash Mahabirsingh (2-29) and Aaron Maniram (2-50), along with new-ball bowler Joshua James (2-51) all ended with two wickets each.
T&T had the worst possible start to their second innings when Navin Bidaisee perished for two with as many runs on the board but Leonardo Julien struck 54 and Sachin Seecharan, an unbeaten 34, to stabilise the innings.
Julien faced 90 deliveries and crunched six fours and two sixes while Seecharan hit four fours in his 59-ball innings, in a 93-run stand for the second wicket.