Exciting last day looms

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica yesterday claimed first-innings honours over England Lions in their top-of-the-table West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Four-day Tournament clash at Sabina Park.

However, with a day remaining, it is still anybody's guess as to how the game will end, as the Lions, 18 runs behind on first innings, ended the day on 149 for three.

131 overall lead

This represents an overall lead of 131 from the visitors, who will be seeking to up the tempo in the morning session and set Jamaica a victory target of about 250 runs in the final two sessions on a wicket that is cracking up, and has been offering uneven bounce.

Jamaica, who are hoping to top the encounter in order to host the tournament's semi-finals starting next week, resumed the day on 259 for four, 100 short of first-innings honours, with overnight batsmen Brendan Nash and Wavell Hinds not out on 56 and five, respectively.

The pair proceeded to add another 50 runs to their partnership before Nash, who top-scored with 65, tried to chip left-arm spinner Danny Briggs into the midwicket region but was only able to pick out Ben Stokes at short midwicket with the total on 309, and Jamaica 50 runs adrift.

This then brought wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton to the crease, but before he and Hinds could settle into a partnership the latter was caught at close in, also off the bowling of Briggs, for 40, and the score on 310.

With only the lower order left to get Jamaica past the visitors Walton, who has been fairly consistent with the bat this season, needed to come good, and that he did.

He first formed an alliance with regional debutant, 19-year-old leg-spinner Akeem Dewar, and together they added 39 for the seventh wicket before Dewar, who two seasons ago was voted the most valuable player of the regional Under-19 tournament and played an integral role in the West Indies third-place finish at the ICC Youth World Cup early last year, was bowled by pacer James Harris for a 61-ball two.

Playing the role of anchor during the partnership, the right-handed Dewar batted for over an hour.

With 10 runs needed and the fairly small crowd that was on hand cheering the home team on, Walton was then joined by Brown, and the pair proceeded to add five for the eighth-wicket before Walton attempted a drive and was caught and bowled by Briggs for 42.

Walton hit eight fours during his innings, which came off 82 balls in 90 minutes of batting.

With three runs to get Brown, who made six, and fast bowler Jason Dawes, who contributed seven, then took Jamaica across the line.

Fast bowler and No. 11 batsman Sheldon Cotterell, who hit a six and four to help give Jamaica their narrow lead, ended not out on 10.

Nineteen-year-old Briggs, who was the only spinner used throughout by Lions captain James Hildreth, ended with five for 121 of 45 overs, while pacer Nathan Buck, who was the quickest of the other four seamers that were utilised, claimed three for 77 off 2.4 overs.

Play resumes today at 10 a.m.