Recent West Indies Test newcomer Kevin Sinclair underlined his all-round talents with a majestic maiden first-class hundred that put defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles firmly on course for victory against hosts Cricket West Indies Academy in the West Indies Championship yesterday.
Set a huge target of 429 for an outright victory, West Indies Academy closed on 161-7, still 268 runs away from victory with just three wickets in hand in the third-round encounter at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
When Harpy Eagles started the day on 161-5 and a lead of 178, the game hung in the balance.
By the end of it, the defending champions were large and in charge, thanks largely to Sinclair’s brilliant 165 not out.
The right-hander batted the Harpy Eagles into a position of command, rallying the lower-order after several of the top and middle order batters failed to build on their starts.
Sinclair, playing his 25th First-Class match, faced 182 balls and struck 26 fours.
The 24-year-old, who scored a fifty on Test debut against Australia a month ago, added valuable runs with Kemol Savory, Ronaldo Alimohamed and Veerasammy Permaul as the Harpy Eagles piled up the runs on Day Three.
Savory struck 58 off 68 (8x4s, 1×6), his second First-Class fifty; Alimohamed continued to deliver with the bat, scoring 31 off 34 (2x4s, 2x6s), while the experienced Permaul struck four fours in his unbeaten 29 off 45.
Bowling for West Indies Academy, Guyanese left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd claimed 5-97 off 45 overs, his second five-wicket haul in the format. It also follows his 6-78 in the previous match against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force.
Off-spinner Sinclair then returned with the ball to take 2-30, West Indies Under-19 pacer Isai Thorne picked up 3-32 and Alimohamed and Gudakesh Motie added one apiece to make significant inroads into the Academy batting.
West Indies Under-19 batsman Jordan Johnson has top scored so far with 54, while Carlon Bowen-Tuckett is unbeaten on 34.
Guyana Harpy Eagles are looking for their first win this season, after drawing with Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and suffering a 273-run loss to Leeward Islands Hurricanes.
Below are the summarized scores from the other games:
At Warner Park, St. Kitts: Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 137 all out from 60.2 overs (Jyd Goolie 30, Joshua Dasilva 23, Terrance Hinds 21; Colin Archibald 3-28, Jeremiah Louis 3-38, Rahkeem Cornwall 2-5, Daniel Doram 2-32) and 285-6 from 108 overs (Jyd Goolie 64, Jason Mohammed 49, Tion Webster 38, Vikash Mohan 25*, C. Cooper 36, Terrance Hinds 34, Joshua Da Silva 32; Rahkeem Cornwall 3-56) lead Leeward Islands Hurricanes 318 from 98.2 overs (Jewel Andrew 87, Kieran Powell 65, Jeremiah Louis 41, Mikyle Louis 32; Anderson Phillip 4-62, Bryan Charles 3-81) by 104 runs
At Sabina Park, Jamaica: Jamaica Scorpions 269 all out from 78.4 overs (Romaine Morrison 97*, Kirk McKenzie 40, Carlos Brown 40; Jomel Warrican 5-62, Jair McAllister 3-69) and 220-8 from 63 overs (Akshai Mansingh 54, Leroy Lugg 43; S. Cumberbatch 4-22) trail Barbados Pride 389 all out from 120 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 142, Kevin Wickham 63, Shane Dowrich 44; Derval Green 4-78, Pete Salmon 3-94) by 100 runs
At Chedwin Park, Jamaica: Combined Campuses and Colleges 204 all out from 71.3 overs (Demario Richards 46, Damel Evelyn 43, Jonathan Carter 31; Darel Cyrus 6-72; Gilon Tyson 3-32) and 271-6 from 81 overs (Jonathan Carter 94, R. Greaves 62*, D. Evelyn 56; Shemar Springer 2-33) lead Windward Islands Volcanoes 395 all out from 105.4 overs (Kavem Hodge 158*, Sunil Ambris 120*; R. Greaves 5-142) by 80 runs.