The 23-year-old left-arm spinner – coincidentally from T&T – captured six wickets for 29 runs from 12.4 overs, as T&T, replying to the CCC’s first innings total of 234, were dismissed for 107 just over an hour after lunch on the second day of the first round match at Jarrett Park.
Left-handed opener Omar Phillips then hit an unbeaten 51 to carry the CCC to 105 four in their second innings when bad light and rain conspired to prompt an early close.
Phillips has so far struck two boundaries from 114 balls in 142 minutes, as he again batted resolutely, and anchored the CCC.
Ravi Rampaul had set the University side back early, when he trapped opener Simon Jackson lbw for 11.
The CCC reached 26 for one at tea before Lendl Simmons, bowling his modest medium-pace, had Nekoli Parris also lbw for 11.
The CCC were 44 for two, and T&T continued to apply the pressure mainly through their spinners.
Imran Khan had Romel Currency caught for four, and Dave Mohammed bowled Jamaican Chadwick Walton for 13 to leave the CCC 97 for four before the weather put an end to play.
It was a memorable day for Kantasingh however, after he bamboozled his compatriots to hand the CCC a healthy lead. T&T captain Daren Ganga hit the top score of 44, but no other batsman passed 20, as the two-island republic felt the absence of Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, and Kieron Pollard either through injury, or extra-regional playing commitments.
Jason Bennett, making a return to the first-class competition following a spell of injury, made the early breakthrough, when he had Justin Guillen lbw for 10.
T&T were making steady headway, when Kantasingh was brought into the attack. He claimed three scalps in the final half-hour before lunch to leave T&T on 65 for four.
Kantasingh struck in the first over after lunch, when Khan was caught behind for two to leave T&T 65 for five.
T&T inched along before the all-spin attack of Kantasingh and T&T-born Barbadian off-spinner Ryan Austin put them out of their misery.
Austin, last season’s leading bowler, finished with three for 17 from five overs.
Earlier, Khishmar Catlin blasted two sixes and two fours in a quick-fire 25 off 22 balls to add 33 for the last wicket with Bennett to boost the CCC’s first innings total, after they continued from 191 for seven.
Khan was the pick of the T&T bowlers with four for 58 off 24.3 overs, Amit Jaggernaith ended with three for 56 from 30 overs, and Ravi Rampaul took two for 75 from 17 overs.
SCOREBOARD
COMBINED CAMPUSES & COLLEGES 1st Innings(overnight 191 for seven)
O. Phillips c Guillen b Jaggernauth 88
S. Jackson c D. Mohammed b Kelly 3
N. Parris c wkpr Ramdin b Khan 9
R. Currency b Jaggernauth 44
*F. Reifer c wkpr Ramdin b Rampaul 4
+C. Walton c wkpr Ramdin b Rampaul 26
K. McClean c wkpr Ramdin b Jaggernauth 0
R. Austin c Guillen b Khan 7
K. Kantasingh c Emrit b Khan 9
J. Bennett not out 4
K. Catlin st Ramdin b Khan 25
Extras (b2, lb2, nb11) 15
TOTAL (all out, 97.3 overs) 234
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-46, 3-140, 4-146, 5-167, 6-167, 7-191, 8-201, 9-201
Bowling: Rampaul 17-1-75-2, Kelly 6-2-13-1, Khan 24.3-4-58-4, Jaggernauth 30-7-56-3, Mohammed 9-6-13-0, S. Ganga 4-0-7-0, Emrit 7-3-8-0
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 1st Inninngs
L. Simmons lbw b Kantasingh 16
J. Guillen lbw b Bennett 10
*D. Ganga c Parris b Austin 44
S. Ganga c Phillips b Kantasingh 8
+D. Ramdin c Jackson b Kantasingh 4
I. Khan c wkpr Walton b Kantasingh 2
R. Kelly c Parris b Kantasingh 7
R. Emrit b Austin 0
D. Mohammed c Jackson b Austin 0
A. Jaggernauth not out 8
R. Rampaul lbw b Kantasingh 0
Extras (b2, nb6) 8
TOTAL (all out, 34.4 overs) 107
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-40, 3-50, 4-54, 5-65, 6-91, 7-92, 8-92, 9-105
Bowling: McClean 5-0-19-0, Bennett 4-1-12-1, Catlin 8-1-28-0, Kantasingh 12.4-4-29-6, Austin 5-0-17-3
COMBINED CAMPUSES & COLLEGES 2nd Innings
O. Phillips not out 51
S. Jackson lbw b Rampaul 11
N. Parris lbw b Simmons 11
R. Currency c Rampaul b Khan 4
+C. Walton b Mohammed 13
*F. Reifer not out 8
Extras (b4, lb1, nb2) 7
TOTAL (4 wkts, 41 overs) 105
Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-44, 3-69, 4-97
Bowling: Rampaul 5-0-15-1, Kelly 4-0-10-0, Simmons 7-1-12-1, Emrit 6-3-16-0, Khan 7-1-13-1, Jaggernauth 9-2-23-0, Mohammed 3-0-11-1
Position: CCC lead by 232 runs with six second innings wickets standing
Umpires: P. Gustard, M. Noble
