Jamaica hang on for draw... Will travel to face T&T in semi-finals

 KINGSTON (CMC):

Defiant batting, led by Chadwick Walton and Brendan Nash, helped three-time defending champions Jamaica earn a draw with the England Lions in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Four-day Tournament yesterday.

Walton led the way with 53 and Nash supported with 49, as Jamaica, chasing a highly improbable, if not impossible target of 275 for victory in limited time, finished on 184 for nine in their second innings when their seventh round match came to a close at Sabina Park.

James Harris snared four wickets for 42 runs from 17 overs and left-arm spinner Danny Briggs collected four for 56 from 19 overs, as the Lions pressed for a victory that would have helped them to finish at the top of the standings.

The Jamaicans were also pressing for a victory in the hope that they could finish in the top-two and host one of the semi-finals.

The final result meant, however, that Jamaica gained six points to finish the preliminary competition on 51, and take third place behind the Combined Campuses & Colleges and Trinidad & Tobago, whom they will meet in the semi-finals, starting on Friday.

The Lions earned three points and also ended with 51 points, but they are only taking part in the league phase of the competition and return home to Britain today.

Desperate fight

Jamaica's desperate fight to save the match followed another solid batting effort from the Lions, which featured an unbeaten 77 from their captain James Hildreth, 42 from James Taylor and 36 not out by Craig Kieswetter, that allowed the visitors to declare their second innings on 292 for four about 40 minutes before tea.

Off-spinner Bevon Brown was the most successful Jamaica bowler, ending with three wickets for 96 runs from 30 overs.

The Jamaicans did not start brilliantly, sliding to 47 for three before Walton and Nash carried them to tea on 107 for three.

After the break, Walton and Nash continued merrily and put on a valuable 99 for the fourth wicket that gave the Jamaicans unrealistic confidence of reaching the target.

ENGLAND LIONS 1st Innings 358

JAMAICA 1st Innings 376

ENGLAND LIONS 2nd Innings

(overnight 149 for three)

A. Lyth c Dewar b Dawes 1J. Adams lbw b Brown 38A. Gale b Brown 57J. Hildreth not out 77J. Taylor c Jackson b Brown 42+C. Kieswetter not out 36

Extras: (b18, lb15, w2, nb6) 41

TOTAL: (4 wkts decl'd, 72.2 overs) 292

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-102, 3-130, 4-219

Bowling: Dawes 14-3-39-1, Cotterell 6-1-30-0, Brown 30-1-96-3, Lambert 15-0-39-0, Dewar 5.2-0-34-0, Hyatt 2-0-21-0

JAMAICA 2nd Innings (target: 275)

D. Hyatt lbw b Harris 11S. Jackson c wkpr Kieswetter b Harris 12M. Samuels b Woakes 20+C. Walton b Briggs 53B. Nash b Briggs 49T. Lambert c Adams b Harris 24W. Hinds c wkpr Kieswetter b Harris 7A. Dewar c Taylor b Briggs 0B. Brown lbw b Briggs 0J. Dawes not out 1S. Cotterrell not out 0

Extras: (b1, lb4, nb2) 7

TOTAL: (9 wkts, 53 overs) 184

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-27, 3-47, 4-146, 5-176, 6-177, 7-177, 8-179, 9-184

Bowling: Woakes 12-3-58-1, Harris 17-7-42-4, Buck 5-0-23-0, Briggs 19-6-56-4

Result: Match drawn

Points: Jamaica 6, England Lions 3

Man of the Match: D. Briggs (England Lions)

Umpires: V. Bullen, N. Malcolm.

Match referee: C. Fletcher

Reserve umpire: V. Smith