BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Spurred by half-centuries from openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Omar Phillips, as well as Jonathan Carter, Barbados reached 227 for five in their first innings at the close against Guyana on the opening day of their fifth round regional first-class match at Kensington Oval here yesterday.
Test player Brathwaite, who has so far top-scored with 62, and left-hander Phillips, who made 52 – his third half-century of the season – laid the foundation with an opening partnership of 92.
Carter, an elegant left-hander, was unbeaten on exactly 50 with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich on nine. Carter has been at the crease for 169 minutes, faced 104 balls and counted five boundaries. His half-century came in 149 minutes off 103 balls.
On what turned out to be a fairly easy-paced pitch, Brathwaite, in his usual obdurate style, and the far more adventurous and elegant Phillips, took the score to 82 off 32 overs by lunch with Phillips on 47 and Brathwaite, 33, as Guyana used six bowlers.
Medium-pacer Assad Fudadin, operating from the Joel Garner end at the north, broke the stand six over after the interval when he bowled Phillips behind his legs.
Phillips batted for 140 minutes, faced 114 balls and struck six fours. He reached his half-century in 136 minutes off 110 balls.
Veteran all-rounder Ryan Hinds was soon dropped on two at straight mid-off by Christopher Barnwell running back as he tried to hit off-spinner Narsingh Deonarine over the top. The score was then 103 for one in the 45th over – and the escape came 44 minutes after lunch.
Hinds was the second wicket to fall, well caught low at fine-leg by Deonarine from a hook off fast bowler Brandon Bess for 14 to make the score 130 for two in the 52nd over.
Then in the next over without addition, Brathwaite, playing back and across, was leg before wicket by left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul.
Brathwaite was at the crease for 200 minutes, received 156 balls and hit five fours after attaining his fifty in 166 minutes off 141 balls with four boundaries.
By tea, Barbados had moved to 158 for three off 61 overs with Carter on 15 and Shamarh Brooks, captaining the side in the absence of Kirk Edwards, who was sidelined with back spasms, on ten. Brooks had been let off on seven at slip by Leon Johnson off Permaul with the score 153.
The pair took their partnership to 47 before Brooks was leg before wicket by Permaul for 19.
All-rounder Kenroy Williams was the other batsman dismissed for 14. Having been dropped on 13 at second slip by Johnson off the second ball of the second new ball from pacer Ronsford Beaton, Williams then flirted at a delivery outside the off stump which left him from Bess and provided wicketkeeper Derwin Christian with a regulation catch.
Bess has two for 26 and Permaul, two for 50.
Both teams observed a two-minute silence before the start of the match on the passing of former Leeward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and West Indies batsman Runako Morton, who died in a motor vehicle accident in Trinidad last Sunday. They also wore black armbands.
