Defending champions Jamaica, missing a number of key players, won their first match of the 2008 West Indies Cricket Board-sponsored President’s Cup tournament by thrashing Canada by nine wickets at the Georgetown Cricket Club’s Bourda ground yesterday.

The Canadians played into the Jamaicans’ hands from the time they won the toss and elected to bat.
Despite an opening partnership of 25 (the highest of the innings)  between Abdool Samad and Sandeep Jyoti, the Canadians slumped to 40-4 and never really recovered although former Guyana all rounder Sunil Dhaniram showed his familiarity with the pitch with an attacking innings of 24.
After Jyoti was run out by Lorenzo Ingram for 10, Samad, who struck three fours in his 15, and Qaiser Alli, who was dismissed without scoring, both gave catches to wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert off Andrew Richardson.

But Dhaniram, who struck three fours from 36 balls and Khurram Chohan, whose unbeaten 17 came off 63 balls, attempted to put the innings back on course before Dhaniram spooned a catch to point where Danza Hyatt dived forward and scooped up the offering.

After that it was only a last-wicket stand of 21 between former Guyana fast bowler Eion Katchay and Chohan that enabled the team to go past three figures with Katchay contributing 13 valuable runs before he became Hibbert’s sixth victim.

Richardson was easily the pick of the bowlers with 4-36 while spinners Wallace and Devon Browne had identical figures of 2-14.

David Bernard jnr., chipped in with 1-21.
In reply the Jamaica raced to 108 for one in 20.5 overs to pick up the maximum two bonus points.
They were led by opener Brenton Parchment’s even, unbeaten half century which came from 59 balls and included five fours and one six.

With him was Bernard jnr., who ended on 40 not out the two putting on an unfinished stand of 93 runs for the second wicket after Horace Miller was caught behind off Jethi on the stroke of lunch for 15.
Bernard’s innings came off 43 balls and also included five boundaries.
Jethi ended with 1-33 from five overs  while Richardson was named Man of the Match.