BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC – An unbroken, half-century stand between Leeward Islands Hurricanes captain Rahkeem Cornwall and rookie Terence Warde helped their side recover from a mid-innings crisis triggered by the left-arm spin of Jamaica Scorpions captain Nikita Miller in the Regional 4-Day Championship yesterday.
Cornwall was not out on 28 and Warde not on 21 as the Hurricanes reached 209 for six in their first innings at the close on the second day of their fourth-round match at Warner Park, still trailing the Scorpions by 133.
Cornwall and Warde have so far shared in a 59-run stand for the seventh wicket to stabilize the Hurricanes’ innings, after Miller, playing his first match of the season following an off-season medical procedure, wasted little time getting up to old tricks, taking 3-56 from 27 overs to leave the home team wobbling on 150 for six.
Hurricanes failed to build on a half-century opening stand between West Indies “A” Team opener Montcin Hodge and rugged left-hander Chesney Hughes, losing wickets at regular intervals to undermine their bid to build a substantial total.(See scoreboad on page 29)
Hodge has so far led the way for the Hurricanes with an even 50, Devon Thomas and Jamaica-born Nkrumah Bonner both made 33, and Hughes supported with 20.
But Miller claimed the wickets of Bonner, Windies “A” Team One-day captain Jahmar Hamilton and former Scorpion Thomas in the space of 15 deliveries of a typically steady evening spell to leave the Hurricanes scrambling before Cornwall and Warde led the fight-back in the final hour to add some respectability to the home team’s total.
This followed token resistance from the Scorpions before they were bowled out for 342 in their first innings with Paul Palmer, their captain for the first three matches in Miller’s absence, leading the way with 86.
After the Hurricanes reached 35 without loss at lunch, Oshane Thomas, the Windies “A” Team fast bowler, made the breakthrough for the visitors, when he trapped Hughes lbw following a first-wicket stand of 52 with Hodge.
Keacy Carty, the Windies Under-19 World Cup hero, was run out for a duck four overs later, leaving the hosts 58 for two.
But Hodge found a steady partner in Devon Thomas and linked up to carry the Hurricanes to within reach of the 100-run mark before he fell to leg-spinner Damion Jacobs.
Devon Thomas and Bonner used their inside knowledge of their opponents to consolidate for the Hurricanes, taking them to 127 for three at tea, before Miller undid their hard work after the break.
They had put on 49, when Miller trapped Bonner lbw, the same fate that Hamilton suffered two overs later in falling for a duck before Devon Thomas edged the champion left-arm spinner to wicketkeeper Steven Taylor, the former United States captain, two deliveries later.
Earlier, Scorpions started the day on 315 for seven and were bowled out inside the first hour of the day, as their last three wickets fell for eight runs in the space of 28 deliveries.
Cornwall was the most successful Hurricanes bowler, taking 4-86 from 29.3 overs and there were two wickets apiece for Jeremiah Louis and Sheeno Berridge.
Jacobs batted through the first half-hour before Berridge dismissed him, and Palmer missed out on his maiden first-class hundred, when Louis removed him three deliveries later before Cornwall trapped Thomas lbw to bring the innings to a close.
Scorpions – fifth in the standings on 18.2 points – have so far earned three batting points, two bowling points and 0.2 pace bowling points.
Hurricanes – third on 38.6 – have so far added three bowling points, one batting point plus one pace bowling point.
