ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – An unbroken second-wicket stand between veterans Devon Smith and Kirk Edwards helped Windward Islands Volcanoes significantly cut their deficit against Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the Regional 4-Day Championship yesterday.
Left-handed opener Smith was not out on 56 and Edwards was not out on 35, as the Volcanoes reached 93 for one in their second innings – still trailing by 17 – before bad light stopped play with 18 overs remaining on the rain-hit third day of their first-round match at the National Cricket Stadium. The two experienced batsmen made light work of the Hurricanes’ bowlers, after Jeremiah Louis dismissed their new captain Tyrone Theophile for a first-ball duck in the second over and a one-hour stoppage for rain.
Smith, the most prolific regional batsman, struck four fours and one six from 71 balls in close to two hours of batting and Edwards collected just three boundaries from 78 balls in almost 1 ¾ hours.
Earlier, Nkrumah Bonner hit 69 to anchor the bottom half of the Hurricanes batting before the visitors were bowled out for 343 for a first innings lead of 110.
Sherman Lewis was the pick of the Volcanoes bowlers with 3-51 from 24 overs, Audy Alexander helped to run through the lower-order with his leg-spin, ending with 3-63 from 21.3 overs, and veteran off-spinner Shane Shillingford grabbed 2-94 from 39 overs.
Starting the day on 231 for four, the Hurricanes were set back early, when Jacques Taylor was lbw to Shillingford for 25.
Terrence Warde came to the crease and batted resolutely to put on 66 with Bonner and carry the Hurricanes to past the 300-run mark before Theophile bowled him for 28 with his uncomplicated slow-medium bowling.
Mervin Matthew fell three overs later lbw to Lewis for seven and Alexander came to mop up the rest of the batting, including the scalp of Bonner, whose knock included just two fours from 171 balls in four hours of occupation.
SCOREBOARD
VOLCANOES 1st Innings 233
HURRICANES 1st Innings
(overnight 231 for four)
C Hughes lbw b Lewis 89
K Carty b Johnson 74
A Saunders lbw b Saunders 6
*+D Thomas c Alexander b Shillingford 4
N Bonner lbw b Alexander 69
J Taylor lbw b Shillingford 25
T Warde b Theophile 28
M Matthew lbw b Sherman 7
J Louis c Cato b Alexander 14
G Tonge not out 5
J Campbell c Cato b Alexander 1
Extras (b13, nb8) 21
TOTAL (all out, 125.3 overs) 343
Fall of wickets: 1-151, 2-175, 3-184, 4-184, 5-236, 6-303, 7-312, 8-338, 9-343
Bowling: Johnson 7-2-14-1; Lewis 24-6-51-3; Shillingford 39-10-94-2; Sebastien 24-0-78-0 (nb2); Alexander 21.3-1-63-3 (nb6); Hodge 2-0-10-0; Theophile 8-0-20-1
VOLCANOES 2nd Innings
D Smith not out 56
*T Theophile c Warde b Louis 0
K Edwards not out 35
Extras (b2) 2
TOTAL (1 wkt, 25 overs) 93
Fall of wickets: 1-0
Bowling: Matthew 5-2-7-0; Louis 3-1-12-1; Warde 6-1-27-0; Tonge 7-2-21-0; Campbell 4-0-24-0
Position: Volcanoes trail by 17 with nine second innings wickets standing
Umpires: J Blades (Barbados), J Wilson (Trinidad & Tobago)
Match referee: C Felix
Reserve umpire: R Davis
