wildey, barbados, cmc
THE LEEWARD ISLANDS got their 2005 President's Trophy campaign off to a perfect start with a comfortable nine-wicket victory over the highly fancied Jamaica at Banks Brewery yesterday.
They dismissed the regional four-day champions for a paltry 145 off 38.1 overs before racing to 146 for one off 29.2 overs, with Runako Morton slamming a marvelous, unbeaten 87.
The Sylvester Joseph-led side owed their win to their disciplined medium paced bowling and superb, attacking batting by Morton, as they registered the first bonus point of the competition.
GENEROUS BOUNCE
New ball bowlers Curtis Roberts and Gavin Tonge, extracting generous bounce and movement from the pitch, caused early problems for the Jamaicans after they won the toss and chose to bat.
The lively Roberts made the first breakthrough when Xavier Marshall under-edged an attempted pull onto his stumps with the score on 18.
The burly right-arm bowler also accounted for the other opener Brenton Parchment (26) and Jamaican skipper Wavell Hinds (6), the latter to a fine running catch by Wilden Cornwall at square leg.
Earlier, Carl Simon had deceived Marlon Samuels with a slower bowl to have the stylish right hander caught at mid off for 13.
Hinds' dismissal at 75 for four in the 20th over saw the innings go into a steady decline and only a gutsy 33 by all-rounder Gareth Breese helped Jamaica to their eventual score.
Breese struck four fours and one six in his 40-ball innings before he lost his middle stump to Tonge's first delivery of a new spell, to be last man out.
Roberts, who bowled his full allotment of 10 overs in one spell, finished with the best figures of three for 23 while Simon (3-42), Tonge (2-29), completed the job of dismissing Jamaica cheaply.
When the Leewards started their reply, they soon lost super-sub, left hander Austin Richards Jr to Daren Powell's first delivery of his second over, bowled playing on with the score on 13.
But Junie Mitchum, dour and steady, and the robust Morton, combined to add an unbeaten 133, to see their team easily past the required target with more than 20 overs to spare.
Morton, who was severe on all the bowlers, powered his way to his half century with seven fours and a six in 53 balls and was even more devastating in the latter half of his knock, registering three more sixes and three fours in his eventual unbeaten 87 that needed just 89 balls.
Right handed Mitchum proved the perfect foil for Morton in contributing a patient, unbeaten 37 with five fours from 80 balls, in the match-winning partnership.
The Leewards introduced Richards Jr for wicketkeeper Alderman Lesmond as their super-sub while leg spinner debutant Alton Beckford, replaced opening batsman Xavier Marshall when Jamaica took the field.
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