Shillingford’s successful return upstaged by Parris’s five wicket haul

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Windward Islands and West Indies off-spinner Shane Shillingford was upstaged by a penetrative spell from former Barbados Under-19 captain Renaldo Parris to put Maple on the brink of victory over Pickwick in the Barbados Cricket Association’s Division 1 championship on Saturday.

Shillingford, bowling extensively for the first time in a competitive match, since working the kinks out of his action, collected five wickets for 70 runs from 22 overs, as Pickwick dismissed front-runners Maple for 231, conceding a first innings lead of 122, on the second day of the fifth round match at Foursquare Oval.

Still gaining appreciable turn, and maintaining decent control, despite the changes in his action, Shillingford ran through the Maple lower order. But Parris hit back for the visitors, snaring five for 25 from 13 overs, as Pickwick slumped to 95 for eight at the close, with Shillingford not out on 17.

Romel Currency, the former Windward Islands opener, was one of three batsmen plundering hundreds on the day.

Shane Shillingford

Currency hit a fighting 102 – his fourth Division 1 hundred for joint defending champions University of the West Indies – in a second innings total of 188 all out against neighbours Carlton at the Three Ws Oval.
The Vincentian, who plays for Combined Campuses & Colleges in the WICB Regional first-class championship, struck 10 fours and one six from 191 balls in close to 4 ½ hours.

Off-spinner Marlon Graham, who has played in the WICB Regional One-day competition for Barbados, took five for 58 for match figures of nine for 114, after Test off-spinner Ryan Austin finished with six for 41 for UWI.

Barbados captain Ryan Hinds was undefeated on 127 – his third hundred of the season and 11th in his Division 1 career – as Empire declared on 311 for five for a first innings lead of 202 over Barbados Youth at the Lester Vaughan School.

The left-hander also became the first batsman to pass the 500-run threshold for the season in an innings that contained 16 fours and four sixes from 92 balls in just over 2 ¼ hours.

Former Barbados Under-19 wicket-keeper/batsman Jabbar Niles was the other century-maker, his 101 was his first ever in the Division 1 competition, helping Spartan reach 254 for six declared to gain a 158-run, first innings lead over Young Men’s Progressive Club, whose line-up included national all-rounder Dwayne Smith.

Shillingford is one of three West Indies players currently making an appearance in the Division 1 Championship. The others are Leeward Islands leg-spinner Anthony Martin for relegation-threatened Banks, and Windwards batsman Andre Fletcher for LIME.