McCarthy misses maiden ton in WICB First-Class Championship

Led by a solid half-century from Andre McCarthy, Jamaica Scorpions made a positive start to their WICB First-Class Championship clash against Windward Islands Volcanoes at Sabina Park yesterday.

McCarthy, batting a number four, scored 92 as the Scorpions, electing to bat, closed the day on 230 for seven.

McCarthy, the former West Indies Under-19 batsman, who last season was in and out of the side after a series of low scores, hit two sixes and two fours in a knock that lasted close to 31/2 hours.

His innings, which laid the platform for a rally after the Scorpions, had sunk to 126 for five, saw McCarthy displaying a foray of entertaining on and offside shots. This included two huge sixes off left-arm spinner, Alston Bobb, which went over wide mid-on boundary and into the north stand.

However, sitting on 92 for over close to 20 minutes, he eventually fell short of triple figures when he played around a straight ball from left-arm seamer, Kenroy Peters, and was adjudged leg before wicket.

He was dismissed with the score on 214, a knock which came after he had put on a fighting 88 with David Bernard Jr for the sixth wicket.

Bernard Jr, who throughout the partnership largely played an anchor role, finished the day on 32 not out, while with him is leg-spinner Damion Jacobs, who is yet to score.

"I went out there and tried to apply myself and wanted to get the team in a nice position going into the second day. However, I got out for 92, which is not acceptable," explained McCarthy.

"I feel disappointed in myself knowing that in nine first-class cricket matches I am yet to score a century, and this should have been it. But I guess I will just have to put that behind me now and focus on the second innings, where if I get the chance I hope to do better."

Earlier, Jamaica, after again leaving out West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman, Chadwick Walton, as well as fast bowler Nicholson Gordon, got off to a slow start.

This was after the dismissal of young captain Paul Palmer Jr, who faced three balls before being caught at slip off towering fast bowler, Mervin Matthews, for zero.

It was the third failure for the 23-year-old Palmer Jr in as many innings, having made a one-ball duck and a 77-ball against Barbados in the team's opener at Kensington Oval.

However, thanks to a 70-run second wicket stand between opener John Campbell and Kirk Edwards, the Scorpions were able to rally. Campbell made 48, while Edwards got 24.

All-rounder Liam Sebastien, with five for 53 off 20 overs, led the way for the visitors. He dismissed Campbell and Carlton Baugh Jr, who made eight, leg before wicket, and Edwards and Brandon King, 17, caught at bat pad. His other victim, Nikita Miller, also went out caught, close to the wicket for eight.