Imlach, Chanderpaul follow up after Thorne spell
CMC – Tevin Imlach and Tagenarine Chanderpaul followed up a destructive spell from West Indies Under-19 pacer Isai Thorne with solid top-order batting and spurred defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles to a sizeable lead against tournament leaders Windward Islands Volcanoes in the West Indies Championship on Thursday.

Imlach, the Harpy Eagles captain, was not out on 88, and Chanderpaul, the West Indies Test opener, was not out on 78, and Harpy Eagles reached 168 for one in their second innings at the close on the second day of their fifth-round match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua for an overall lead of 363.

Thorne, a member of the West Indies Under-19 side that reached the quarterfinals in this year’s ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, bagged four for 38 from 11 overs, and Volcanoes were bowled out for 113 to concede a first innings lead of 195.

All-rounder Ronaldo Alimohamed supported with three for 30 from seven overs, and West Indies left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie snared two for 12 from 3.5 overs to complete the demolition of the Volcanoes batting after they continued from their overnight total of 12 without loss.

Imported Barbadian wicketkeeper-batsman Tevyn Walcott led the way for the Volcanoes with 41 not out, and Darel Cyrus made 23 and was the only other batsman that passed 20 in the innings, which came to an end about 40 minutes after the scheduled lunch interval.

The Volcanoes failed to recover after they slumped to 49 for eight in the second hour before lunch, and a stand of 64 for the ninth wicket between Walcott and Cyrus either side of the interval was the only stable period in the innings and brought them a touch of respectability.

Harpy Eagles lost left-handed opener Matthew Nandu for a second ball duck in the second over of their second innings without a run on the board, but Imlach came to the crease and batted through the remainder of the day with Chanderpaul to put his side firmly in front.

Elsewhere, second-placed Leeward Islands Hurricanes fought back against hosts Jamaica Scorpions after off-spinners Peat Salmon and Ramaal Lewis shared nine wickets and restricted them to a narrow first innings lead.

Salmon snatched five for 50 from 23 overs, and Lewis, a former West Indies Under-19 captain, collected four for 80 from 17.3 overs, and Hurricanes were bowled out for 231 in their first innings about 45 minutes after the scheduled tea break at Sabina Park with a lead of only 10.

Pacer Jeremiah Louis then finished the day with two for 11 from six overs, including the prized scalp of discarded West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood, and the Scorpions were wobbling on 59 for four in their second innings at the close with a lead of 49.

Scorpions had started the day on 173 for six in their first innings, and they were bowled out for 221 about half-hour after the scheduled start with opener Carlos Brown adding 12 to his overnight score and led the batting with 80, and Derval Green made 20.

Hurricanes captain and champion off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall and left-arm spinner Daniel Doram equally shared the last four Scorpions wickets that fell for 47.

Test left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican struck twice in the final hour and followed up a solid 72 from Jonathan Drakes that enabled Barbados Pride to hold a slim advantage against hosts and arch-rivals Trinidad & Tobago Red Force.
Warrican ended the day with two for 19 from 12 overs, and Red Force were 100 for three in their second innings when stumps were drawn at Queen’s Park Oval, with Pride holding a lead of seven.

Opener Kjorn Ottley has so far led the way with 39, and first innings batting hero Amir Jangoo was not out on 30.
Earlier, Drakes anchored the Pride batting after they continued from their overnight total of 99 for four, sharing successive half-century stand with Kevin Wickham and clubmate Holder that carried the visitors past 250 before he was dismissed.

Wickham and Holder made 34 each, and retired West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich made 40 before Pride lost their last four wickets for 14 in the span of 28 balls, and they were bowled out about 45 minutes before tea.

A quickfire 32 from Barbadian opener Kadeem Alleyne enabled Cricket West Indies Academy to extend their lead past 100 after a destructive spell from Guyanese off-spinner Ashmead Nedd led the demolition of the batting of hosts Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners.

But Alleyne gave a return catch to Trinidadian spinner Yannick Ottley off the eventual final ball of the day, and the CWI Academy closed on 44 for one in their second innings with an overall lead of 113 at Frank Worrell Field on the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad.

Nedd ended with four for 51 from 22 overs, fellow left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop took two for 44 from 21 overs, and pacer Johann Layne grabbed two for 60 from 17 overs, and the Marooners were bowled out for 231.
Barbadian wicketkeeper-batsman Demario Richards led the way with 59, and leg-spin bowling compatriot Zishan Motara batted resolutely for nearly 5-1/2 hours for 56.

Motara shared two successive half-century stands – he put on 52 for the third wicket with Sadique Henry, and 54 for the fifth wicket with his captain and discarded West Indies batsman Shamar Brooks – before he was forced to retire hurt on 55 after being struck on the right hand by a short, rising ball from Layne.

Richards stabilised the innings in a fourth-wicket stand of 55 with Ottley and carried Marooners past 200 before he was run out, and Motara returned when the hosts were 217 for nine, added only one more run before he too, was run out to bring the innings to a close about 25 minutes before tea.