Rain, no play

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada (CMC):

Jamaica were prevented from making any headway against Windward Islands, when not a ball was bowled in their WICB Regional first-class match yesterday.

The three-time defending champions were set to resume from their overnight total of 177 for six in their first innings, but persistent rain never allowed the players to get on to the field at the Queen's Park Stadium.

The deluge left several parts of the outfield soggy, and this prompted officials to abandon the second day of the second-round match during the scheduled tea break.

Jamaica endured another first innings batting crisis on Friday's opening day, after they were sent in to bat.

Marlon Samuels led the way for the visitors with a solid 40, Tamar Lambert, the Jamaica captain, supported with 35, Dave Bernard Jr was not out on 28, and Simon Jackson made 28.

No Windwards bowlers collected more than one wicket, but they largely had flattering bowling figures, particularly Kenroy Peters, whose 23 overs that cost 22 runs included 10 maidens.

The home team are joint-fifth in the competition on four points, following a 33-run defeat in their opening match against Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC), after gaining first innings points.

The visitors are co-leaders with the CCC and England Lions on 12 points, following a 165-run victory over Guyana at the Alpart Sports Club on home soil.

In Georgetown, Guyana, the home country and the Leeward Islands were idle for a second consecutive day.

The soggy condition of the Bourda Oval was not fit for play, and this again prompted the umpires to abandon the second day of the second-round match even before the scheduled start time.

Umpires Clyde Duncan, a Guyanese, and Vincent Bullen, a Barbadian, are confident that once there is no more rain overnight, play should start sometime after the scheduled lunch interval today.

After the ground was almost completely under water on Thursday, sunshine on Friday and yesterday, along with hard work from the ground staff, resulted in the disappearance of most of the surface water.

Ground officials explained yesterday that the clearance of several ditches around the ground allowed the water to recede very quickly.