CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Combined Campuses & Colleges staged a fight-back, after a typically mesmering spell from off-spinner Sunil Narine undermined their batting in the Regional 4-Day tournament on Saturday.
Jason Holder snared two wickets for 21 runs from four overs and Jason Dawes scalped the prized wicket of Kieron Pollard, as T&T reached 106 for five in their second innings for an overall lead of 224 at the close on the second day.
Narine had celebrated his Indian Premier League call-up with five for 22 from 16 overs, as the CCC were dismissed for a modest 111, replying to T&T’s first innings total of 224 about 32 minutes before tea in their day/night first round match. Dwayne Bravo supported with two for 38 from 12 overs.
Trinbagonian Yannick Ottley hit the top score of 32 for the CCC and Kyle Corbin made 25, adding 32 for the third wicket in the most significant partnership for the home team.
T&T suffered an early setback, when West Indies opener Lendl Simmons retired hurt on zero, after he was struck on his left knee by a delivery from Kevin McClean and had to be helped off the field.
The visitors ran into further trouble, when Adrian Barath, another West Indies opener, was caught behind down the leg side off Holder for one on the stroke of tea, leaving T&T five for one.
After tea, the Red Fury made steady, if not spectacular progress, but they lost West Indies left-hander Darren Bravo, when Holder bowled him with an in-swinging yorker for one in the first half-hour following the break.
Dwayne Bravo, Darren’s elder brother, soon followed caught at slip on the second attempt by Kyle Corbin playing defensively forward to off-spinner Ryan Austin for 13, wobbling T&T on 36 for three.
T&T captain Denesh Ramdin, a West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman, joined Jason Mohammed and they stemmed the fall of wickets with resolute batting.
They added 46 for the fourth wicket before Mohammed was adjudged lbw to leg-spinner Nkrumah Bonner for 31 before Kieron Pollard was caught behind off Jason Dawes, rocking T&T on 92 for five.
Earlier, CCC started the day on 11 for one, but their batting crumbled in the face of Narine’s clever off-spin.
Left-hander Raymon Reifer added six before he gave a gentle return catch to Dwayne Bravo off the leading edge in the first hour.
The pressure mounted on the CCC batsmen once Ramdin introduced Narine and he struck with the final delivery of his second over, when he bowled compatriot Ottley for 32 in the last half-hour before lunch.
CCC sunk to 76 for four at the interval, after Narine bowled Nkrumah Bonner for two, when the batsman moved down the pitch and tried to play through the onside.
Inside the first hour after the interval, there was a continuous procession between the pitch and the pavilion, as CCC lost four wickets without any addition, slumping to 83 for eight.
Narine trapped veteran left-hander Floyd Reifer palpably lbw for nine and Chadwick Walton being caught behind off for a first-ball duck off successive deliveries.
Dwayne Bravo had Corbin caught behind and Holder was comprehensively beaten and bowled by Narine for a duck as he played down the wrong line before Kevin McClean was run out for eight, leaving CCC 91 for nine.
Dawes joined Ryan Austin and frustrated T&T for just over half-hour in a last wicket stand of 20 that pushed the CCC total over the 100-run threshold before he was caught at gully off Emrit for eight.
