Brown half-century rescues Scorpions on opening day against Hurricanes

OPENER CARLOS Brown stroked a polished unbeaten half-century to help resuscitate the Jamaica Scorpions first innings on the rain-affected opening day of their West Indies Championship match against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Sabina Park.

The St Catherine CC batsman will resume today’s second day on 68, with the Scorpions 173 for six after being asked to take the first strike.

Brown has, so far, faced 137 balls and hit 10 fours, and the right-hander is keen to continue his good work to further lift his side to a competitive first-innings total.

“So far, I have been getting starts this season, and everyone keeps telling me that I should capitalise on them. I plan to dig in and start over and continue to execute my plans, and normally, on a day-two wicket at Sabina Park, things are with the batter.”

Brown’s best innings, so far, at this level, could not have come at a better time as the home side were behind the eight ball early thanks to some enterprising seam bowling from Jeremiah Louis.

The right-arm seamer first removed opener, Kirk McKenzie who was caught behind for eight, then had the out-of-form Jermaine Blackwood caught in the slip for nought at 27 for two.

Twelve runs later, Louis had Leroy Lugg caught for 10 to further compound the home side’s problems.

When left-arm pacer Colin Archibald snapped up captain Brandon King and Peat Salmon for eight and six respectively, The Scorpions were in tatters at 59 for five before Brown and wicket-keeper Romaine Morris repaired the damage.

The pair added a valuable 66 runs for the sixth wicket with some counter-attacking batting, but that aggression would also be Morris’ downfall as he swiped at Rahkeem Cornwall when he got to 42 and was bowled.

Abhijai Mansingh then joined Brown and they batted until rain ended play just before tea.

When the players came out with under an hour to play, a wet outfield forced the umpires to call off the day’s play with Mansingh not out on 15 and Brown, 68.

Louis has, so far, taken three wickets for 34 runs, with Archibald bagging 2-23.

At Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, the Windward Islands Volcanoes trailed the Guyana Harpy Eagles by 296 runs with all 10 first-innings wickets intact.

Batting first, the Harpy Eagles scored 308 all out thanks to Kevin Sinclair’s 74, while Kevlon Anderson, 48, and Gudakesh Motie, 46, chipped in against the bowling of Darel Cyrus, 5-67. The Volcanoes were 12 without loss at the close of play.

At Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, the Barbados Pride, on 99-4, trailed the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force by 73 runs with six first-innings wickets intact.

Earlier, the Red Force had scored 172 all-out with Amir Jangoo left high and dry on 93 against the bowling of Jason Holder, 4-47, Chaim Holder, 3-28, and Shaquille Cumberbatch, 3-50.

The Red Force’s Khary Pierre has, so far, taken 2-18.

Over at Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, the Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners were 11-1 in chase of the Cricket West Indies Academy’s 300.

Carlos Bowen-Tuckett, 76 not out, and Johann Layne, 63, led the way for the Marooners against Yannick Ottley’s 5-47 and Jediah Blades, 3-59.