KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Windward Islands defied half-centuries from Kyle Corbin and Chadwick Walton, as well as rainy weather to take an early advantage over Combined Campuses & Colleges in the Regional Four-Day Tournament here Friday.
Nelon Pascal bowled with pace and aggression and was the most successful Windwards bowler with four for 52 from 14 overs, as CCC were bowled out for 225 in their first innings about 35 minutes past the scheduled close on the rain-affected opening day of their sixth round match.
Corbin made a composed 79 to lead the way for the visitors, Chadwick Walton batted with crisp assurance for 58 and opener Shacaya Thomas hit a brisk 36, but no other CCC batsman reached 20 after they chose to bat on a hard, true Arnos Vale Multiplex pitch.
Corbin and Walton shared 104 for the fourth wicket to lift CCC from 45 for three but the visitors lost their last seven wickets for 76 runs.
Home team captain Liam Sebastien ended with 2-51 from 21.3 overs, Delorn Johnson finished with 2-52 from 10.3 overs and Alston Bobb grabbed 2-56 from 20.2 overs.
Devon Smith was not out on six and Tyrone Theophile was not out on nine, as the Windwards reached 17 without loss before bad light stopped play about an hour past the scheduled close with one over remaining.
Three stoppages for rain that amounted to 1-½ hours added to the ebb and flow of play that started with much promise for the CCC before it turned as gloomy as the weather in the later stages of the day.
Thomas gave them a brisk start with his no-nonsense approach that took him past 1,000 first-class career runs before Johnson made the breakthrough, when he had newcomer Paul Palmer caught at extra cover from a miscued hook for four.
CCC were wobbling inside the first half-hour after Pascal bowled Thomas with a yorker in his fourth over and Johnson had Dominica-born former Windwards Under-19 batsman Kavem Hodge caught behind for three.
Walton came to the crease and found a sedate Corbin and they were beginning to ease the pain when the first break for rain arrived with CCC 67 for three and prompted the umpires to take lunch earlier than scheduled.
On resumption, Walton continued merrily and Corbin batted resolutely, dodging two more breaks for the weather, to add some substance to their side’s total in the face of disciplined Windwards bowling.
After the third and final stoppage for rain, Walton reached his 50 from 87 balls, when he played forward to a delivery from Sebastien and it bounced awkwardly to take the shoulder of the bat before flying over the slips to allow the wicketkeeper/batsman the single for his landmark.
He struck six fours and two sixes from 103 balls in 125 minutes and took his stand with Corbin past the 100-run threshold before being adjudged lbw sweeping across the line at a delivery from left-arm spinner Alston Bobb about 20 minutes before the re-scheduled tea break.
CCC were 155 for four at tea but five wickets in the space of 45 minutes undermined their advance, as Corbin glanced Sebastien to fine leg for two to reach his 50 from 136 balls.
Veteran Floyd Reifer, the CCC player/coach, was stumped moving down to Sebastien for 10 and this opened the floodgates, as Pascal ripped out three of the remaining batsmen with a lively spell and Sebastien claimed his 100th scalp in first-class matches, when he had newcomer Justin Greaves caught at leg-slip for one.
