BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Mar 24, CMC – Barbados Pride were closing in on victory on the penultimate day of the fourth round match in the West Indies Championship.
Off-spinner Chaim Holder snatched four for 63 and fast bowler Akeem Jordan claimed three for 35 to rout hosts Trinidad and Tobago Red Force for 185 in their second innings at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Friday, and tilt the contest in Pride’s favour.
Set 118 to win, Pride reached 52 for two at the close, needing a further 66 runs to close out the win.
At the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, Leeward Islands Hurricanes suffered a second innings collapse against Windward Islands Volcanoes to be 99 for five at the close – only 128 runs ahead going into the final day.
Kavem Hodge had earlier converted his overnight half-century into 137, helping Volcanoes to push their overnight 206 for two to 353 all out.
Resuming the morning on 31 for two, Red Force flourished as captain Darren Bravo (36) extended his third wicket stand with Bryan Charles (18) to 49.
West Indies selectee Jordan broke the stand when he had Charles, on five at the start, caught at the wicket by captain Shane Dowrich and the dismissal sparked a slide which saw three wickets tumble for 27 runs.
Bravo, unbeaten on 20 overnight, faced 79 balls and counted half-dozen fours before he was fourth out, caught low down at first slip by Jordan off Holder.
Red Force were then propped up by two key stands, Jyd Goolie (35) putting on 46 for the sixth wicket with Test wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva (21) and 34 for the seventh with Tion Webster (22).
Faced with a modest target, Pride lost two wickets but first innings top-scorer, opener Zachary McCaskie was leading the chase with an unbeaten 29.
Volcanoes, meanwhile, were propelled by Hodge who gathered his fourth first class hundred, hitting 15 fours in a knock which required 253 deliveries and nearly 5-½ hours.
Starting the day on 85, Hodge pushed his overnight third wicket stand with Alick Athanaze to 246 before his captain fell for 128 after resuming the morning on 105.
Athanaze struck 17 fours and a six off 173 balls in four hours at the crease overall. Seamer Jeremiah Louis (4-46) and off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall (4-109) finished with four wickets apiece.
Ahead by only 29 runs on first innings, Hurricanes collapsed despite opener Montcin Hodge’s unbeaten 45, left-arm seamer Preston McSween (2-26) grabbing two of the wickets to fall.
