A magnificent unbeaten century from Guyana Harpy Eagles captain, Leon Johnson, piloted the hosts to 268 for nine after 86.3 overs on the opening day of their fourth-round clash against Jamaica Scorpions in the West Indies Championships.
At the National Stadium, Providence, Scorpions, who are sitting at the bottom of the table, won the toss and inserted the Eagles, but after a shaky start, it was Johnson who owned the day.
Eagles lost West Indies’ latest Test opener, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, fresh off his return for a three-ball duck, bowled by an inswinger from Marquino Mindley.
The Scoprion seamer also stung the hosts by removing Chanderpaul’s opening partner, Matthew Nandu for one.
Eagles slipped to 55 for four when Kemol Savory was trapped leg before wicket to Ojay Sheilds and Kevlon Anderson fell to Derval Green after a spirited 36-run cameo from 65 balls.
However, Johnson showed his class in his penultimate first-class match, hitting 142 not out off 248 balls. The former West Indies Test left-hander, spent nearly six hours at the crease, stroking 16 boundaries during his seventh century in the format.
Johnson was joined by Tevin Imlach and the pair added 126 runs for the fifth wicket.
Imlach made 46 runs from 105 balls, inclusive of three boundaries.
The captain shepherded the lower order by adding 27 valuable for the eighth wicket with Gudakesh Motie (08) and 35 for the ninth wicket with Ronsford Beaton (01).
Kevin Sinclair was the only other batsman to reach double figures with 10 while extras tallied 23. Mindley, Shields and Green picked up two wickets each.
The contest resumes today at 10.00 hours.
AT QUEEN’S PARK OVAL: Chaim Holder defied a half-century from discarded international batsman Jason Mohammed and led the demolition of Red Force first innings batting for 203.
Holder, 28, bagged five for 71 from 18.3 overs, and defending champions Barbados Pride, stinging from a deflating loss in the previous round, bowled out hosts Trinidad & Tobago Red Force about an hour after tea for 203.
Pacer Jair McAllister supported with three for 31 from 15 overs before Pride replied with 40 without loss at the close with Zachary McCaskie not out on 21 and left-hander Shayne Moseley not out on 19.
Mohammed led the Red Force batting with 55 and anchored two valuable stands with Tion Webster and West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva to prop up the Red Force after they won the toss and decided to bat.
Da Silva made 32 and dominated a fourth-wicket stand of 48 with Mohammed before he was lbw to McAllister, and Webster made 46 and led the way in a fifth-wicket stand of 39 before Mohammed was the first of six wickets that fell for 40 in the span of 18 overs after tea.
AT THE BRIAN LARA CRICKET ACADEMY: United States international Karima Gore was unbeaten on 87 and sizing up a maiden first-class hundred on debut to lead the Hurricanes to 271 for six in the first innings at the close.
Gore has so far struck 12 fours and one six from 177 balls in close to four hours at the crease and shared 150 unbroken for the seventh wicket with Kofi James after the Hurricanes wobbled to 121 for six after lunch.
James was not out on 61 with three fours and one six from 153 balls in three hours of batting.
Earlier, discarded international left-hander Powell followed up his match-winning hundred against Pride in the previous round with 75 and held the top half of the batting together before he succumbed to Kenneth Dember in the first hour after lunch.
Off-spinner Dember and left-arm pacer Preston McSween have taken two wickets each for the Volcanoes.
