Scorpions stutter on day one against Pride

THE JAMAICA Scorpions failed to capitalise after winning the toss against the Barbados Pride on day one of their second-round West Indies Championship match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

When stumps were drawn, the Pride had reached 89 for two, replying to the Scorpion’s modest first-innings score of 140. Opener Sheyne Moseley will resume today’s second day on 41, accumulated from 83 balls while hitting six fours. With him at the crease is Shamarh Brooks, who is not out on 16, as the Barbadians trail by 51 runs, with eight first-innings wickets in hand.

Debutant pacer Ojay Shields and Gordon Bryan have taken the wickets so far, but it was the Scorpion’s woeful batting that will be put under the microscope once again after failing to spark in the opening fixture against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes.

From the outset, it wasn’t the best of batting surfaces, however, captain Paul Palmer decided he would take first use, and with just the third ball of the game, opener Leroy Lugg lost his poles for nought to pacer Akeem Jordan.

Six runs later, Jordan was in business once again, this time inducing the edge of left-handed opener Kirk McKenzie, who was caught at slip for one.

It took a defiant quick-fire 32 from 46 balls with six fours from debutant Tevin Gilzene to get the score to some amount of respectability, however, the right-hander would play one shot too many and was sent back by the in-form Jordan, who snared his third scalp.

After wicket-keeper Aldane Thomas was bowled by Shamar Springer for eight, captain Paul Palmer and rookie Abhijai Mansingh tried to stem the haemorrhaging with a 29-run fifth-wicket stand before Palmer went for 18 to leave the Scorpions in further trouble at 73 for five.

All-rounder Jamie Merchant was not having any of the Pride’s dominance with the ball, and he came in and blasted a quick-fire 35 from 23 balls with one four and four sixes to add a valuable 44 runs for the sixth wicket with Mansingh.

Merchant was eventually undone by left-arm spinner Camarie Boyce, however, Mansingh, as he did in the first game, tried to occupy the crease.

He batted 81 balls for his 27 runs, which included three fours, but when he became the seventh wicket to fall at 122, the Scorpions’ innings went further downhill as they inched their way to 140.

Jordan, Springer, and Boyce picked up three wickets each for the Barbadians.

Over at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, also in Antigua, Trinidad and Tobago, batting first, closed on 151 for three with Darren Bravo not out on 74 and Yannic Cariah 32. Jason Mohammed made 34 against two wickets for Jeremiah Louis.

Over in Grenada, captain Alick Athanaze hit 141 to lead the Windward Islands Volcanoes to 292 for eight at stumps against the Guyana Harpy Eagles.

Ryan John is not out on 50 with Sunil Ambris weighing in with 47. Ransford Beaton, Veerasammy Permaul, and Kevin Sinclair have taken two wickets each.