RAIN AND a soaked outfield slowed Jamaica down, after career-best bowling from Nikita Miller helped them gain a 55-run first-innings lead over the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) in the WICB regional four-day competition yesterday.
Miller collected eight wickets for 41 runs from 23 overs, as the CCC were dismissed for 106, replying to Jamaica's first-innings total of 161 on the rain-shortened second day of their third-round match at the Three Ws Oval.
The Jamaicans were making steady progress in their second innings and had reached 32 for one when a second stoppage for rain about 40 minutes after lunch meant not a ball was bowled for the remainder of the day.
Held centre stage
The visitors had made hay while the sun shone before lunch when Miller held centre stage and bowled his side to first-innings points. Miller has just returned from New Zealand, where he played the one-day internationals for West Indies, and had triggered a top-order collapse the previous evening with four wickets, which had left the CCC on 59 for five.
Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert turned to Miller and legspinner Odean Brown from the start of the day and the left-arm spinner struck in the third over of the day when he had Jamaican-born wicketkeeper/batsman Chadwick Walton caught at slip for 11.
The Jamaicans failed to make headway as Ryan Austin joined Kevin McClean and spent the next half-hour in defiance before he, too, was caught at slip off Miller for three to leave the CCC on 78 for seven.
Five balls later, Miller struck again when Khismar Catlin was caught at long-off for five, but the Jamaicans were again held up.
Resisting the visitors
Kavesh Kantasingh came to the crease and spent another half-hour resisting the visitors with McClean before Miller had him caught at silly mid-on for three.
Brown brought the innings to an end, when he had McClean caught at slip for 27 about a half-hour before lunch.
Jamaica suffered an early setback when McClean bowled Xavier Marshall for six, as Jamaica reached 22 for one at lunch.
But the Jamaicans had little chance after the interval to make progress as there was a 20-minute stoppage and then the second stoppage, which brought things to a halt.
Other matches
AT PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten: The Leeward Islands, following on by 303 runs, were 66 for one in their second innings at the close on the second day of their third-round match against Barbados at the Carib Lumber Park.
Scores: BARBADOS 507 (Ryan Hinds 240, Dale Richards 68, Rohan Nurse 59, Patrick Browne 26, Dwayne Smith 21; Tonito Willett 5-92, Wilden Cornwall 2-70).
LEEWARDS 204 (Runako Morton 82, Tonito Willett 70; Pedro Collins 5-31, Tino Best 3-19, Sulieman Benn 2-57) and 66 for one (Kieran Powell 40 not out).
AT POINTE-A-PIERRE, Trinidad: The Windward Islands, replying to Trinidad and Tobago's first-innings score of 310, reached 140 for nine at the close of the second day of their rain-affected match at Guaracara Park.
Scores: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 310 (Darren Bravo 105, Keiron Pollard 57, Lendl Simmons 46, Richard Kelly 24, Dave Mohammed 24, Adrian Barath 23; Darren Sammy 5-67, Deighton Butler 3-53).
WINDWARDS 140-9 (Rawl Lewis 38, Lyndon James 24; Atiba Alert 4-44, Sherwin Ganga 2-12, Dave Mohammed 2-22).