KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Rookies Roston Chase and Shai Hope struck half-centuries as Barbados Pride kept Windward Islands Volcanoes in the field for the entire opening day of their fourth round match here yesterday.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first in the WICB Professional Cricket League contest, Barbados finished the day on 230 for five, to take the early initiative at Arnos Vale.
Chase was unbeaten on 56 while Hope carved out his maiden first class half-century when he scored exactly 50. Left-handed opener Omar Phillips was going well before he was forced to retire hurt for 38 after being struck in the head.
Captain Carlos Brathwaite was unbeaten on 25 and Jonathan Carter also chipped in with 25.
Barbados owed their position to an unbroken 60-run stand between Chase and Brathwaite, after the visitors slipped to 170 for five in the last session.
Chase has faced 151 balls in 167 minutes and struck three fours while Brathwaite has lasted 67 balls in 112 minutes, and registered two fours and a six.
Left-arm spinner Alston Bobb led the hosts’ bowling attack with three for 62.
Barbados suffered an early setback inside the first half hour when they lost Kyle Corbin in the day’s sixth over, caught at the wicket off left-arm seamer Kenroy Peters for 19 with the score on 24.
The right-hander struck four fours in his 25 balls at the crease.
Hope and Phillips then added 56 for the second wicket, as Barbados rebuilt their innings in a healthy stand.
While Hope faced 129 balls in just under three hours at the crease with five fours, Phillips counted a four and two sixes in an attractive 70-ball knock that lasted 103 minutes.
However, Phillips’s innings ended in unfortunate circumstances when he was struck in the head by a drive from Hope, while at the non-striker’s end.
Carter joined Hope to extend the second wicket partnership to 109 overall, and take Barbados to lunch at 89 for one.
After the break, Carter flourished and looked to be getting into his stride when he became Bobb’s first wicket of the innings. He hit four fours off 72 balls in 1-1/2 hours at the crease.
Hope, meanwhile, strolled to his half-century in style, pulling seamer Mervin Mathew to the mid-wicket boundary and then following up by whipping the same bowler to the ropes again.
He was one of two wickets to fall in the space of 15 balls with just three runs added, as he quickly followed Carter.
Chase put on 35 for the fourth wicket with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich who made 13 before being bowled by Bobb, and two balls later, Dwayne Smith was taken at mid-on by Shane Shillingford without scoring.
Struggling at 170 for five, Chase and Brathwaite ensured there was no more damage done as they steadied the innings in an enterprising stand.
Scoreboard
BARBADOS PRIDE 1st innings
K Corbin c Fletcher b Peters 19
O Phillips ret. hurt 38
S Hope b Shillingford 50
J Carter c Fletcher b Bobb 25
R Chase not out 56
+S Dowrich b Bobb 13
D Smith c Shillingford b Bobb 0
*C Brathwaite not out 25
Extras (lb3, w1) 4
TOTAL (5 wkts, 93 overs) 230
To bat: A Nurse, J Warrican, M Cummins.
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-133, 3-135, 4-170, 5-170.
Bowling: Matthew 12-1-46-0, Peters 14-5-31-1, Shillingford 19-6-71-1, Bobb 31-6-62-3, Sebastien 6.3-1-13-0, Theophile 0.3-0-4-0.
WINDWARD ISLANDS VOLCANOES – Liam Sebastien (captain), Johnson Charles, Tyrone Theophille, Sunil Ambris, Keddy Lesporis, Andre Fletcher, Romel Currency, Shane Shillingford, Alston Bobb, Mervin Matthew, Kenroy Peters.
Toss: Barbados Pride.
Umpires: Umpires: L Abraham, N Shivsanker.