ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Left-arm spinner Gary Mathurin grabbed a career-best seven-wicket haul here yesterday but England Lions were poised to complete an emphatic victory over Windward Islands.
The 27-year-old picked up seven for 72 in an outstanding spell as the visitors declared their second innings and 290 for nine on the penultimate day of their sixth round Regional First Class Championship fixture at Windsor Park.
Set 356 to win, the Windwards slipped to 10 for two at the close as 19-year-old left-arm spinner Danny Briggs (2-0) snatched two wickets in nine balls, to leave the hosts in disarray and facing a likely defeat on today’s final day.
Resuming from their overnight 20 for one, England Lions stretched their 65-run first innings lead, with James Harris top scoring with 73 and Andrew Gale (47) and captain James Hildreth (41) giving support.The Lions prospered due largely to two successive half-century partnerships anchored by Harris. He shared 65 for the second wicket with opener James Adams (27) before adding another 83 for the third wicket with Andrew Gale 47. Mathurin accounted for all three batsmen before also disposing of the dangerous Hildreth.
