Scorpions inch over the line against West Indies Academy

THE JAMAICA Scorpions secured their second win of the West Indies Championship after a nail-biting two-wicket win over the West Indies Academy on the final day of their encounter at Sabina Park yesterday.

Chasing a gettable 234 to win with all 10 wickets intact, the home side had to rely on the penultimate pair to get them over the line, finishing late in the day on 236 for eight from 82 overs.

It was an all-around good contest against bat and ball on the final day, which began shakily for the Scorpions who lost opener Carlos Brown in the fourth over of the day for a duck with just seven runs on the board.

Opener Kirk McKenzie and Jermaine Blackwood then consolidated the innings and took the score to 56 before Blackwood went lbw to Ashmead Nedd for 27.

After Leroy Lugg was sent back for two by Joshua Bishop, the left-handed McKenzie carried on and was looking set to get to a well-deserved half-century, but he saw his stumps disturbed by Bishop for 47 after facing 88 balls and hitting seven fours and a six.

The Scorpions camp then lost the plot a little when Peat Salmon and Romaine Morris fell for one run apiece to leave the Scorpions innings in tatters at 96 for six.

The nerves would eventually settle as captain Brandon King found a useful ally in Abhijai Mansingh. The pair shared in a 92-run seventh-wicket partnership to steer the hosts closer to victory.

The game would, however, take another twist, as King after reaching 65, swiped at left-arm spinner Nedd and was bowled after facing 127 balls and hitting five fours.

The sparse crowd on hand would get even more nervous when Mansingh, on reaching 42, was bowled through the gates by Bishop with the score reading 208 for eight.

Jeavor Royal then joined veteran Derval Green, and the pair would see the Scorpions over the line following some enterprising batting with Green not out on 20 and Royal 18.

‘Too close for comfort’

Joshua Bishop finished with four wickets to add to his six in the first innings while Nedd ended with three for 95.

Despite the close finish, captain Brandon King knew his team had the mettle to get over the line.

“We are happy for the win but it was too close for comfort. Our batting is very deep as we have shown in the first innings and we had the belief that we would get the total.

Losing captain Nyeem Young said the contest was a learning one which the team will take heart from.

“It was a good game and I think the team learnt a lot from the encounter. I thought both teams put up a good fight and there is a lot to take away from this game.”

In another game, the Guyana Harpy Eagles beat Barbados Pride by 32 runs about 15 minutes before the scheduled close at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

Earlier, the Harpy Eagles had racked up 436 in their first innings thanks to Veerasammy Permaul’s 90, Kevlon Anderson’s 72, and Tevin Imlach’s 55.

Kermar Roach and Jason Holder had the same figures of 2-52 in reponse, while Jomel Warrican bagged 2-98.

In reply, the Pride were skittled out for 230 despite Jonathan Drakes’ 101.

The Harpy Eagles then made a quickfire 136 for eight declared before again bowling out the Pride.

This time the Pride made a fist of it, scoring 309 to get close with half centuries from Zachary McCaskie, 87, and Holder, 76. Warrican was left high and dry on 40 against the bowling of Niall Smith, 4-87, Veerasammy Permaul, 3-66, and Gudakesh Motie, 3-71.

Over at Queen’s Park Oval, hosts Trinidad and Tobago Red Force beat Windward Islands Volcanoes by six wickets in a low-scoring affair that saw Joshua Da Silva scoring an unbeaten 53 to help Jyd Goolie, who retired hurt on 90 to bring home the victory.

In another close affair, the Leeward Islands Hurricanes beat Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners by three wickets about 10 minutes before the scheduled close at Frank Worrell Field in Trinidad.