LEG-SPINNER Nkrumah Bonner was the unlikely bowling hero as the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) registered a come-from-behind 33-run victory over the Windward Islands in their first round Headley-Weekes first-class championship cricket match with a day to spare at the Three Ws Oval, today.
Bonner took a career-best five for 26 in 14.5 overs as the Windwards, chasing a modest 179 runs for victory, were dismissed for 145 in their second innings just before the scheduled tea break on the third day of the four-day match.
The Jamaican-born 22-year-old Bonner, playing in only his third first-class match, was well supported by left-arm spinner Kavesh Kantasingh, who took three for 37 and off-spinner Ryan Austin, two for 46 as the spinners claimed all ten wickets.
The Windwards’ fragile batting line-up was again exposed by spin bowling which has been their Achilles heel over the year as they lost wickets at regular intervals and folded after an encouraging opening stand of 38 between Johnson Charles (17) and Tyrone Theophile (18).
Theophile had lifted pacer Gilford Moore for a six over long-off which crashed onto the Tim Hector Media Centre but fell in Kantasingh’s first over when he was well caught by veteran Floyd Reifer at first slip.
Both Charles and Keddy Lesporis were snapped up at forward short leg by CCC captain Omar Phillips as the Windwards’ slipped to 46 for three.
There was a measure of hope for the Windwards when Andre Fletcher, who topscored with a cautious 35 in 95 balls off 114 minutes and captain Liam Sebastien (27, 4×4, 45 balls) featured in a 50-run fourth-wicket partnership.
But Bonner opened the floodgates when he trapped Sebastien, who had pulled off-spinner Austin for a couple of boundaries leg before wicket.
The decision to switch Kantasingh to the northern end, proved to be double delight for the CCC, who rebounded from a disappointing first innings score of 131, to claim maximum 12 points.
Kantasingh removed wicketkeeper Lyndon James for 11 with his second ball of a new spell, courtesy a catch in the slips by Romel Currency and in his next over, induced Fletcher to sky a pull shot to mid-wicket for Raymon Reifer to take an easy catch.
Bonner then wrapped up the innings, sending back Garey Mathurin, Mervin Matthew, Kenroy Peters and Keron Cottoy cheaply to earn the man-of-the-match award.
Earlier, CCC, resuming from 216 for nine overnight in their second innings, were dismissed for 221 as Kevin McClean was caught by wicketkeeper James off Sebastien, who finished with three for 44 in
23.5 overs. Mathurin ended with three for 31 in 16 overs.
CCC 1st innings 131
Windward Islands 1st innings 174
CCC 2nd innings (overnight 216-9)
K. McClean c wk James b Sebastien 1
K. Kantasingh not out 5
Extras (b11, lb3, w1, nb7) 22
TOTAL (all out, 77.5 overs) 221
Fall of wickets (yesterday): 10-221.
Bowling: Pascal 14-1-65-2, Peters 7-2-15-1, Matthew 6-1-18-1 (w1), Cottoy 11-0-34-0, Sebastien 23.5-9-44-3, Mathurin 16-5-31-3.
Windward Islands’ 2nd innings
J. Charles c Phillips b Austin 17
T. Theophile c F. Reifer b Kantasingh 18 A. Fletcher c R. Reifer b Kantasingh 35 K. Lesporis c Phillips b Austin 6 *L. Sebastien lbw b Bonner 27 *L. James c Currency b Kantasingh 11 G. Mathurin c wk Corbin b Bonner 0 M. Matthew c wk Corbin b Bonner 6 K. Peters c Kantasingh b Bonner 3 K. Cottoy c and b Bonner 11 N. Pascal not out 0 Extras (b4, lb2, nb5) 11 TOTAL (all out, 57.5 overs) 145 Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Theophile), 2-38 (Charles), 3-46 (Lesporis),
4-96 (Sebastien), 5-117 (James), 6-124 (Fletcher), 7-125 (Mathurin), 8-134 (Matthew), 9-134 (Peters), 10-145 (Cottoy).
Bowling: Moore 5-1-23-0, McClean 4-1-7-0, Kantasingh 19-5-37-3, Austin 15-2-46-2 (nb5), Bonner 14.5-5-26-5.
Result: Combined Campuses and Colleges won by 33 runs.
Man-of-the-Match: Nkrumah Bonner
Points: CCC 12, Windwards 4.
Umpires: Gregory Brathwaite, Peter Nero
