Mohammed, Goolie hit centuries for Red Force

15TH FIRST-CLASS HUNDRED: Jason Mohammed
15TH FIRST-CLASS HUNDRED: Jason Mohammed

(Trinidad Express) Veteran Trinidad and Tobago Red Force batter Jason Mohammed slammed his 14th first-class ton and went past 5,000 career runs as the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force continued to dominate the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) on the second day of their day/night West Indies Four-Day Championship match at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, yesterday.

Led by Mohammed’s 176 and Jyd Goolie’s third first-class ton – 121 -the hosts, continuing from an overnight score of 303 for two, batted for two more sessions before declaring at 504 for six.

CCC reached 114 for two at stumps, still trailing by 390 runs.

The Rd Force’s dominance yesterday was simply a continuation from the first day when openers Vikash Mohan and Cephas Cooper both scored half-centuries in a 139-run opening stand which set the platform for their huge first innings total.

By stumps on Wednesday, the Red Force were already in control, with Cooper hitting 80 and Mohan scoring 66. When both men fell, Goolie and Mohammed ensured the hosts stayed in the ascendency, finishing the day unbeaten on 76 and 75 respectively.

The pair eventually posted 227-runs for the third wicket and comfortably negotiated everything CCC threw at them.

The 38-year-old Mohammed got into the 90s with a cut for four off Akeem Jordan and a four to the cover boundary off his fellow seamer Andre Bailey which took the veteran to 99.

If he was nervous, it never showed as he raised his century with a single down the ground off the same bowler, having faced 160 balls.

Goolie, 11 years younger than Mohammed, also handled the 90s with comfort, pulling leg-spinner Abhijai Mansingh for four to reach 98. A cut for four off the same bowler took the left-hander to his third first-class century off 164 balls. The shot also took the Red Force to 350 for two after 98 overs.

Goolie eventually fell to off-spinner Avinash Mahabirsingh, going for a slog-sweep and popping the ball up for Bailey to take an easy catch at short backward square with the score on 386.

Yannic Cariah arrived in the middle and he cut Ojay Shields to backward point for four to take the hosts past 400.

The Red Force went into the first break at 420 for three and despite losing Cariah (22) shortly after the resumption, Mohammed kept the innings moving, hitting a single off Jordan to move on to 123 in the match and also to reach 5,000 career runs.

Milestones kept coming for the veteran, who cut Mahabirsingh for a single to reach 150 (254 balls). He also led the hosts past 500 before he was caught on the wide long-on boundary off Mansingh to trigger the Red Force declaration.

In reply, CCC reached 20 without loss at the dinner break but lost Damel Evelyn in the final session when the batter chopped a delivery from Tion Webster back onto his stumps for 21.

Before the break, spinners Khary Pierre and Bryan Charles asked a few questions, bowling four overs between them, however T&T persisted with the seamers in the first hour of the final session as CCC reached 69 for one at the final drinks break.

However, left-armer spinner Pierre returned in the final hour and bowled Sadique Henry for 21 off an inside edge as CCC slipped to 69 for two.

Captain Johann Jeremiah kept the CCC innings going, smashing Charles for a straight four to take his team to triple figures before reaching his 50 with a single off Vikash Mohan, having faced 110 deliveries and hitting seven fours and a six.

More of the same application will be needed from him today if his side is to get to relative safety.

The match continues today from 1 p.m.