COUVA, Trinidad, CMC – Barbados Pride kept up the pressure on leaders Guyana Jaguars with a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over long-time rivals Trinidad and Tobago Red Force on the final day of their ninth round game here Monday.
The visitors sent Red Force tumbling for 240 in their second innings and then easily knocked off the required 71 for victory, 40 minutes after tea at the National Cricket Centre.
With the win, Pride collected 17 points to move to 123 points, ahead of the final round of games in the Regional four-day championship starting next week.
With Jaguars, who started this round with 125 points, battling to a stalemate in their encounter with bottom dwellers Leeward Islands Hurricanes, it means they along with Pride will head into the final round with little separating them.
Pride were inspired by Test left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican who finished with five for 54 while seamer Kevin Stoute claimed four for 50.
The pair crippled Red Force after they resumed on 117 for one, ensuring that the last nine wicket perished for 123 runs. Opener Kyle Hope, unbeaten overnight on 67, made just 76 while nightwatchman Marlon Richards gathered 39 but the remainder of the batting failed.
Hope fell in the day’s sixth over with the score on 135, caught at the wicket off Warrican. All told, he faced 147 balls in 170 minutes and counted ten fours.
Richards then anchored two small stands, putting on 35 for the third wicket with Yannic Cariah (19) and 24 for the fourth wicket with Narsingh Deonarine (8).
Red Force were fighting at 194 for three but Richards edged a cut at Warrican and was taken at slip by Shai Hope, to spark the decline.
Richards struck five fours and a six off 63 deliveries.
With his resistance gone, Red Force lost their last six wickets for 46 runs in quick time.
In search of a small total for victory, Pride lost left-handed opener Omar Phillips without a run on the board, taken at first slip by Deonarine off Richards, in the second over of the innings.
However, Shai Hope struck 36 and captain Kraigg Brathwaite, 31, adding 64 for the second wicket to put Pride back on course.
Hope faced 56 balls and struck three fours while Brathwaite counted two fours off 61 balls. Both fell in the space of 22 balls but their dismissals were academic.
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Scores:
PRIDE 396 (Kraigg Brathwaite 123, Kevin Stoute 66, Roston Chase 59, Shai Hope 52, Omar Phillips 49; Yannick Ottley 2-10, Rayad Emrit 2-66) and 74 for three (Shai Hope 36, Kraigg Brathwaite 31)
RED FORCE 226 (Kyle Hope 77, Yannick Ottley 37; Kemar Roach 4-45, Jomel Warrican 3-44) and 240 (Kyle Hope 76, Imran Khan 39, Marlon Richards 39; Jomel Warrican 5-54, Kevin Stoute 4-50)
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PRIDE 1st Innings 396
RED FORCE 1st Innings 226
T&T RED FORCE 2nd Innings (following-on) (overnight 117 for one)
K Hope c wkp Dowrich b Warrican 76
Imran Khan c Phillips b Warrican 39
M Richards c Hope b Chase 39
Y Cariah c Brathwaite b Stoute 19
N Deonarine b Stoute 8
*J Mohammed c Hope b Warrican 13
Y Ottley c Hope b Stoute 7
J Solozano c Brathwaite b Stoute 3
+S Katwaroo lbw b Warrican 7
R Emrit not out 8
J Jagessar b Warrican 0
Extras (b8, lb4, w1, nb8) 21
TOTAL (all out, 85.2 overs) 240
Fall of wicket: 1-113, 2-135, 3-170, 4-194, 5-200, 6-220, 7-220, 8-232, 9-236, 10-240.
Bowling: Cummins 2-0-16-0 (nb2), Roach 6-0-26-0 (nb4), Warrican 27.1-9-54-5, Carter 7-2-20-0, Chase 13-4-31-1, Brathwaite 6-1-17-0, Stoute 19-6-50-4 (nb2), Brooks 2-0-11-0 (w1).
PRIDE 2nd Innings (target: 71 runs)
*K Brathwaite run out 31
O Phillips c Deonarine b Richards 0
S Hope c Ottley b Deonarine 36
S Brooks not out 2
R Chase not out 5
TOTAL (3 wkts, 23.5 overs) 74
Fall of wickets: 1-0, -64, 3-68.
Bowling: Emrit 3-1-15-0, Richards 4-1-7-1, Ottley 5-1-14-0, Imran Khan 3-0-13-0, Deonarine 4.5-0-16-1, Jagessar 4-3-9-0.
Result: Pride won by seven wickets.
Points: Pride 17, Red Force 3.
Man-of-the-Match: Jomel Warrican.
Toss: Red Force.
Umpires: Peter Nero, Martin Saggers.