KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Sixteen wickets tumbled on a topsy-turvy opening day to leave the fourth round Regional First Class Championship game between Jamaica Scorpions and Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the balance here yesterday.
Choosing to bat at Sabina Park, Hurricanes were bundled out for 164 with Jahmar Hamilton top-scoring with 51 not out, Jamaican Nkrumah Bonner getting 35 and England-based left-hander Chesney Hughes scoring 25.
Left-arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell, in his first game of the season, destroyed the innings with five for 38 while left-arm spinner Nikita Miller supported with four for 53.
Scorpions, who lie second in the points standing, then capitulated to finish the day on 69 for six as off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall (2-15) and fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph (2-20) and Gavin Tonge (2-31) all finished with two wickets each.Opener John Campbell punched a breezy 28 from 30 balls with four fours but was the only batsman in double figures as the Scorpions innings declined quickly.
He put on 39 for the first wicket with captain Paul Palmer (8) but once they were both dismissed within the space of two deliveries in successive overs, Scorpions lost five more wickets for the addition of just 30 runs.
Earlier, Hurricanes lost two wickets without a run on the board to make a horrible start, as Cottrell knocked over Shane Jeffers and Daron Cruickshank without scoring, in successive deliveries in the third over of the innings.
Two partnerships then bolstered Hurricanes. Bonner and Hughes put on 42 for the third wicket and when the visitors lost five wickets for 32 runs to crash to 74 for seven, Hamilton and Jacques Taylor (18) added a further 33 for the eighth wicket.
Hamilton, in his first game of the tournament, faced 94 balls in 130 minutes at the crease and counted six fours and a six.
Scoreboard
HURRICANES 1st Innings
S Jeffers c wkp Baugh b Cottrell 0
C Hughes st Baugh b Miller 25
D Cruickshank lbw b Cottrell 0
N Bonner c Miller b Cottrell 35
O Peters c and b Miller 1
*S Liburd lbw b Cottrell 1
+J Hamilton not out 51
R Cornwall c Miller b Cottrell 0
J Taylor c wkpr Baugh b Miller 18
G Tonge lbw b Jacobs 17
A Joseph c Palmer b Miller 4
Extras (lb8, nb4) 12
TOTAL (all out, 63 overs) 164
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-0, 3-42, 4-56, 5-59, 6-74, 7-74, 8-107, 9-134, 10-164.
Bowling: Cottrell 13-5-38-5, Mindley 9-2-19-0, Bernard Jr 7-0-19-0, Miller 23-8-53-4, Jacobs 11-3-27-1.
SCORPIONS 1st Innings
J Campbell lbw b Cornwall 28
*P Palmer b Joseph 8
K Edwards b Joseph 0
A McCarthy c Liburd b Cornwall 7
T Lambert c Liburd b Conrwall 8
+C Baugh Jr not out 8
D Bernard Jr b Tonge 6
N Miller not out 0
Extras (b1 lb2, nb1) 4
TOTAL (6 wkts, 27 overs) 69
To bat: D Jacobs, S Cottrell, M Mindley.
Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-39, 3-44, 4-54, 5-56, 6-68.
Bowling: Tonge 10-4-31-2, Joseph 7-2-20-2, Cornwall 10-3-15-2.
Position: Scorpions trail by 95 runs with four wickets intact.
Toss: Hurricanes.
Umpires: Verdayne Smith, Nigel Duguid.
