Brown spins magic
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) — Runako Morton celebrated his recall to the West Indies team with a sparkling century, but it could not prevent Jamaica from completing a seven-wicket win over the Leeward Islands at Warner Park yesterday.
The right-hander carved out an attractive 108 on the same day he was named in a 15-man squad for next month’s one-day tour of Australia as the Leewards tumbled to 216 all out in their second innings on the final day of their second round WICB Regional Four-Day First-Class match.
Set 27 to win, Jamaica crashed spectacularly to eight for three before pulling themselves together and reaching their target, to post their second successive win of the tournament.
Starting the day at their overnight position of 66 for two, the Leewards’ fightback was led by Morton who struck 14 fours and a six in an innings that spanned 208 balls and 245 minutes.
He added a further 41 with captain Steve Liburd (28) to take their third-wicket partnership to 103 before Liburd was lbw to leg-spinner Odean Brown’s googly at 107 for three.
Brown, who finished with six for 88, then bowled Tonito Willett for 14 as the batsman shouldered arms to another googly at 136 for four and Omari Banks (15) followed quickly afterward, caught on the cover boundary by Wavell Hinds off the same bowler at 162 for five.
Devon Thomas perished lbw to Brown five runs later and Morton finally fell when he prodded forward to a fast delivery from left-arm spinner Nikita Miller (2-38) and edged to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr, as the Leewards’ innings headed towards a swift end.
Jamaica’s simple run-chase started disastrously when Xavier Marshall drove fast bowler Lionel Baker to mid-off off the final ball of the opening over, to fall without scoring at three for one.
Two runs later in the next over, Marshall’s opening partner Shawn Findlay gloved a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Thomas off pacer Gavin Tonge (2-12) and captain Tamar Lambert lasted just three balls before he played across a straight one from Tonge and was lbw without scoring.
Donovan Pagon (14 not out) and Brendan Nash (seven not out) then steadied the innings and steered Jamaica to their target.
Scoreboard
LEEWARDS 1st Innings 188 (Runako Morton 60; David Bernard Jr 4-38)
JAMAICA 1st Innings 379-8 decl. (Wavell Hinds 70, Donovan Pagon 67; Lionel Baker 4-80)
LEEWARDS 2nd Innings
(overnight 66 for two)
K Powell c Miller b Powell 0
M Hodge c Marshall b Bernard 0
R Morton c wkp Baugh b Miller 108
T Willett b Brown 14
*S Liburd lbw b Brown 27
O Banks c Hinds b Brown 15
+D Thomas lbw b Brown 4
J Athanaze c wkp Baugh b Brown 28
G Tonge lbw b Brown 1
L Baker not out 5
A Martin c Bernard b Miller 8
Extras (lb3, nb3) 6
TOTAL (all out, 75.1 overs) 216
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-4, 3-107, 4-136, 5-162, 6-167, 7-193, 8-202, 9-205, 10-216.
Bowling: Powell 9-1-36-1, Bernard 11-2-30-1, Brown 29-9-88-6, Miller 16.1-5-38-2, Findlay 10-2-21-0.
JAMAICA 2nd innings
S Findlay c wkp Thomas b Tonge 3
X Marshall c Athanaze b Baker 0
D Pagon not out 14
*T Lambert lbw b Tonge 0
B Nash not out 7
Extras (nb3) 3
TOTAL (3 wkts, 6.4 overs) 27
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-5, 3-8.
Bowling: Baker 3.4-0-15-1, Tonge 3-0-12-2.
Toss: Leewards.
Umpires: L Abraham, R Bailey.