PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Leeward Islands leg-spinner Anthony Martin struck three lethal blows late in the day yesterday to leave Trinidad and Tobago tottering and set up an enthralling finish today’s final day of their fifth round Regional First Class Championship encounter.
Set a paltry 183 to win, T&T slumped to 75 for five at the close at Queen’s Park Oval, still 108 runs adrift of their target. And with Runako Morton taking no further part in the match, it means T&T are effectively six wickets down.
Sherwin Ganga was carrying the fight for T&T with an unbeaten 35 and will resume with partner Rayad Emrit (1 not out), with the hopes of carrying the hosts to victory.
Openers Justin Guillen (1) and Lendl Simmons (16) fell cheaply to off-spinner Justin Athanaze before the Ganga brothers, Sherwin and Daren, forged a useful partnership of 32 for the third wicket, to push T&T to 65 for two.
Martin, who has claimed three for 19, then turned the game on its head. He had Daren Ganga caught at the wicket for 14 and two balls later, trapped Denesh Ramdin lbw without scoring to leave T&T on 64 for four.
With nine runs added, Martin struck again when he prised out Imran Khan via the lbw route as Leewards gave themselves more than a fighting chance of capturing their first win this season.
Earlier, sloppy Trinidad and Tobago fielding allowed the Leewards to post a competitive 201 all out in their second innings after they resumed the day on 30 for two – just 11 runs ahead on first innings.
Early morning hero, off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth (2-32), who snared two caught and bowled chances to reduce the Leewards to 48 for four, put down three catches at first slip.
Jahmar Hamilton, however, who top-scored with 70, counter-attacked in a fifth wicket stand of 78 with Jason Peters who hit 33 off 64 balls with six fours.
They were well assisted in their efforts by the butter-fingered Jaggernauth who put down both batsmen, and also dropped Jacques Taylor (4) later in the innings.
Hamilton, a short stocky right-hander, played some audacious shots, counting six fours and two sixes off 114 balls in 153 minutes at the crease.
Peters fell to a catch at point off Rayad Emrit at 126 for five and Taylor departed to spinner Sherwin Ganga (2-23) but another solid stand between Hamilton and Justin Athanaze (23) worth 35 for the seventh wicket, pushed the score to respectability.
Scoreboard
LEEWARDS 1st Innings 211
T&T 1st Innings 230
LEEWARDS 2nd Innings
(overnight 30 for two)
S Jeffers c & b Jaggernauth 17
S Peters c wkp Ramdin b Gabriel 8
G Williams lbw b Gabriel 0
*S Liburd c & b Jaggernauth 14
+J Hamilton c S Ganga b Khan 70
J Peters c Simmons b Emrit 33
J Taylor c Guillen b S Ganga 4
J Athanaze c S Ganga b I Khan 23
G Tonge not out 20
A Martin st Ramdin b S Ganga 0
T Willett absent
Extras (lb3, nb9) 12
TOTAL (all out, 61.1 overs) 201
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-13, 3-43, 4-48, 5-126, 6-138, 7-173, 8-181, 9-201.
Bowling: Gabriel 10-1-31-2, Emrit 9-2-20-1, Jaggernauth 12-4-32-2, Khan 18-2-70-2, Ganga 8.1-1-23-2, Carriah 4-0-22-0.
T&T 2nd Innings (Target: 183 runs)
L Simmons c Williams b Athanaze 16
J Guillen b Athanaze 1
S Ganga not out 35
*D Ganga c wkp Hamilton b Martin 14
+D Ramdin lbw b Martin 0
I Khan lbw b Martin 6
R Emrit not out 1
Extras (nb2) 2
TOTAL (5 wkts, 29 overs) 75
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-33, 3-65, 4-65, 5-73.
Bowling: Tonge 1-0-12-0, Athanaze 13-3-36-2, Martin 13-4-19-3, Liburd 2-0-8-0.
Position: T&T require 108 runs for victory.
Toss: Leewards.
Umpires: Peter Nero, Sharfuddoula Shadid.
