Pride clinch maiden win despite Mayers resistance

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Barbados finally won their first match of the newly-minted Regional Four-Day Championship, making light work of Windward Islands Volcanoes in thrashing them by 135 runs in their fourth round encounter here yesterday.

Off-spinner Kenroy Williams was outstanding with four for 36 as the home side, set 310 for victory, collapsed to 174 all out in their second innings – 1-1/4 hours before the scheduled close on the final day at Arnos Vale.

Barbadian Kyle Mayers carved out his second half-century of the match with a top score of 76 while Taryck Gabriel got 33, but the remainder of the Volcanoes batting failed to display the enterprise required.

The result broke a sequence of poor results which saw the traditionally strong visitors losing one and drawing two of their opening three matches.

Resuming the day on 148 for nine, Pride added a further 23 runs before they were dismissed in their second innings for 171 – 20 minutes into the morning session.

And Volcanoes were quickly in trouble, losing key batsmen to slump to 62 for three at lunch.

Left-hander Devon Smith, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, edged speedster Keon Harding behind to wicketkeeper Mario Rampersaud to fall for seven at 23 for one in the fourth over.

Three overs later, pacer Justin Greaves (2-16) grabbed the first of his two wickets when he bowled Tyrone Theophile for a run-a-ball 19 and when Kavem Hodge was well taken at cover by Williams off Greaves for six, Volcanoes were struggling on 41 for three.

Roland Cato had posted 23 for the fourth wicket with Gabriel when he departed four balls following the resumption for eight, lbw to off-spinner Ashley Nurse with just two added to the lunch time score.

The left-handed Mayers then took responsibility for the innings in a knock that lasted 119 deliveries and included nine fours.

He put on 55 for the fifth wicket with Gabriel who faced 129 balls and counted three fours, and added a further 38 for the eighth wicket with Ray Jordan (6), after three wickets tumbled for two runs in the space of 21 balls.

Mayers was eventually ninth out to Williams, bringing an end to the innings, with the injured Kirk Edwards unable to bar.