TAROUBA, Trinidad, CMC – All-rounder Kevin Stoute made an instant impact in his first match of the season, grabbing a five-wicket haul to rattle Trinidad and Tobago Red Force on the opening day of their day/night fifth round match in the Regional Four-Day Championship here Thursday.
The 33-year-old seamer finished with six for 35 as Red Force, opting to bat first at the Brian Lara Stadium, were dismissed for 170 in their first innings.
Only Yannic Cariah with a patient 36 showed any resistance as Jamaican fast bowler Marquino Mindley backed up Stoute well with two for 34.
However, Barbados Pride failed to capitalise on their bowlers’ enterprise and were stumbling on 52 for three at the close, still 118 runs adrift of overhauling their target.
Jamaican speedster Odean Smith did the damage, removing both openers Anthony Alleyne (17) and Shayne Moseley (12) cheaply, with Aaron Jones departing without scoring to add to the visitors’ woes.
Alleyne was the first to fall, slashing outside off and edging a catch to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and Jones followed four overs later after facing 11 balls, missing a tentative prod at seamer Daniel St Clair and having his stumps rattled.
Left-hander Moseley perished when he edged a lifting one from Smith and was taken at gully by Khary Pierre. Earlier, Jeremy Solozano (20) and Barbadian Kyle Hope (15) had put on 38 for the first wicket to give Red Force a decent start.
But once Hope steered Mindley into the hands of Ashley Nurse at second slip, Red Force lost three wickets for five runs to slip to 43 for three.
Captain Denesh Ramdin and Jason Mohammed, who both scored 19, posted the best stand of the innings when they added 36 for the fourth wicket to repair the damage.
But yet again, one wicket led to another as Mohammed nicked a push at a wide ball from pacer Shamar Springer and was caught behind, leading to the loss of four wickets for 31 runs.
Cariah, who faced 108 balls in just short of 2-½ hours at the crease and counted four fours, put on 34 for the eighth wicket with Pierre (15) to prop up the innings but became Stoute’s sixth wicket when he was last out, lbw trying to whip a full length delivery into the onside.