PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

All-rounder Richard Kelly produced a late afternoon three-wicket burst that shook Jamaica's dominance and gave Trinidad and Tobago hope on the third day of their rain-marred second-round WICB Regional Four-day match yesterday.

Jamaica were coasting at 136 for two in response to T&T's first innings total of 202, but Kelly sliced through their middle-order and left the defending champions at 148 for five at stumps.

Persistent rain is set to prevent an outright result in this game at Queen's Park Oval and the Jamaicans are 55 runs away from securing the only reward likely - first innings points.

Positive start

Jamaica started the day positively, taking only 21 minutes after the early 9:30 start to wrap the T&T innings after they had resumed at 189 for seven.

Leg-spinner Gavin Wallace used the day's first ball to dislodge Dave Mohammed, bowled without scoring.

Kelly and Amit Jaggernauth dragged the total beyond the 200-mark before leg-spinner Odean Brown bowled Jaggernauth (6) and with Rayad Emrit unable to bat because of a broken arm, Jaggernauth's dismissal signalled the end of the innings.

Kelly ended not out on 25.

Brown was the pick of Jamaica's bowlers with four for 61 off 24.5 overs, while Wallace (2-33) and Dave Bernard (2-50) shared four wickets.

Building on their bowlers' good work, the Jamaicans strengthened their position before lunch when opening batsmen Brenton Parchment and Danza Hyatt registered a measured first-wicket stand of 64.

They played with assurance and dispatched the bad balls before Hyatt (24) was caught a metre inside the long-on boundary, trying to smash off-spinner Sherwin Ganga for maximum.

Parchment, coming off two failures - 0 and 4 - against the Leeward Islands in St Kitts last weekend, looked solid and was unbeaten on 42 at lunch, with four fours and a six over long-on off the spinner Jaggernauth.

Rainy conditions that already claimed over 2-1/2 hours on the opening day and two sessions on Saturday returned and prevented a prompt resumption after the break.

There was no play until 2 p.m. And the session - modified for a delayed tea time of 3:10 - was reduced again when rain aborted the session at 2:43.

During that time, the Jamaicans added 22 runs for the loss of Parchment's wicket to left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed.

The right-hander failed to control a drive through the off-side and was caught at extra-cover for 54, compiled with six fours and a six.

Play would not resume until 4:20 and in an hour and 10 minutes of play before the close, Kelly dislodged key batsmen Tamar Lambert (11) and Donovan Pagon (51) and also sent back night-watchman Andre Russell (2).

Captain Lambert and Pagon had linked up for a third-wicket alliance that kept the Jamaicans in charge until Kelly separated them at 136 for three.

Lambert's dismissal

Lambert, pushing at a delivery, edged and was caught behind to end a 46-run partnership with Pagon, who fell 10 runs later in a similar dismissal. Pagon hit five fours in his knock.

Kelly then bowled Russell to end the day on a high, with figures of three for 34 off 9.5 overs.

Ganga, one for 24 off 15 overs, and Mohammed, one for 33 off 15 overs, were very economical and Hinds, not out on six, will look to the remaining recognised batsmen Bernard and Keith Hibbert to ensure that joint tournament leaders Jamaica prevail in the first-innings battle.