ROMEL CURRENCY finally cashed in with the bat yesterday. And his season’s top score may pay dividends for the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC).
That’s because a gripping first-day battle between bat and ball ended with the CCC reaching 253 for nine against the visiting Windward Islands yesterday.
Aided by good fortune, CCC opener Currency batted with grit and determination for a responsible 95, but the Windwards, with a batting line-up boosted by West Indies opener Devon Smith, may believe they have the advantage after the opening day of this important semi-final in the restructured 2011 WICB Regional First-Class Cricket Championship.
Off-spinner Liam Sebastien, the Windwards’ captain, led from the front with the fine figures of four for 49 off 33 probing overs while left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin, who started the match with 32 wickets, supported admirably with three for 76, also off 33 overs.
Brilliant catch
Mathurin dismissed Currency just before the close, courtesy a brilliant one-handed slip catch by Smith, but tailenders Kavesh Kantasingh and Ryan Austin enjoyed themselves, each smashing a six off Sebastien in an unbroken 21-run last-wicket stand.
Currency, a 28-year-old Vincentian student at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, hit nine fours off 263 balls in an innings that spanned 342 minutes as he dropped anchor while wickets fell around him, five of them by the leg before wicket route. But even though he finally past 2 000 runs in 51 first-class matches, would be disappointed at missing a second century.
Sent in to bat on a dry pitch, CCC lost their captain Omar Phillips for just five in the third over, trapped leg before wicket by pacer Nelon Pascal.
Currency and Shacaya Thomas, who batted positivel, then added 59 for the second wicket before Sebastien pinned the latter on the back foot with a sharp off-cutter.
CCC’s leading run-scorer Kyle Corbin was almost caught on one when he drove Mathurin inches short of Andre Fletcher at mid-on.
Corbin reached 30 before he missed a pull at Sebastien and was palpably leg before wicket while Mathurin won another LBW verdict against the returning Raymon Reifer, who made 14 with one six.
Wicket snapped up
Nkrumah Bonner was snapped up at short leg by Johnson Charles off Sebastien for six but Currency survived a torrid period in the 40s.
Prepared to use his feet to the spinners, he was deceived by a delivery from Mathurin which turned and bounced but was mis-stumped by wicketkeeper Lyndon James.
He also survived a confident leg before wicket appeal in Mathurin’s next over and on 45 he was dropped at short extra cover by Fletcher off the same bowler.
Currency reached his 50 with a streaky edge past first slip but really buckled down and blossomed in the post tea session to steer the CCC innings, especially after coach-player Floyd Reifer gifted his wicket for a cameo 23, continuing his modest returns this season.
Keen to go on the attack from early, the experienced Reifer drove young off-spinner Dalton Polius through the covers for four and after edging Pascal over the slips for four, essayed two delightful drives, square of the wicket and throughm the covers.
Last laugh
He also swept Polius for six over forward square but the Dominican had the last laugh, luring Reifer to sky an ill-advised heave into Sebastien’s hands at extra cover.
Allrounder Carlos Brathwaite made 20 before he was another LBW victim, sweeping at Mathurin, and Kevin McClean was caught behind by James for four, but Kantasingh and Austin gave CCC some bonus runs.
Kantasingh swung Sebastien for six over midwicket while Austin hoisted the same bowler over long off for another six.
This was the only time the Windwards’ skipper conceded any boundaries off his bowling during the day’s play.
SCOREBOARD:
CCC vs Windward Islands
(At Three Ws Oval)
CCC 1st innings
*O. Phillips lbw b Pascal 5
R. Currency c Smith b Mathurin 95
S. Thomas lbw b Sebastien 32
+K. Corbin lbw b Sebastien 30
R. Reifer lbw b Mathurin 14
N. Bonner c Charles b Sebastien 6
F. Reifer c Sebastien b Polius 23
C. Brathwaite lbw b Mathurin 20
K. McClean c wk L. James b Mathurin 4
R. Austin not out 9
K. Kantasingh not out 9
Extras: (lb4, w1, nb1) 6
TOTAL: (9 wickets, 97 overs) 253
Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Phillips), 2-68 (Thomas), 3-108 (Corbin),
4-133 (R. Reifer), 5-145 (Bonner), 6-188 (F. Reifer), 7-225 (Brathwaite), 8-232 (McClean), 9-232 (Currency).
Bowling: Pascal 11-2-47-1, Williams 9-4-26-0, K. James
1-0-9-0, G. Mathurin 33-6-76-3, Sebastien 33-8-49-4,
Polius 10-1-42-1 (w1, nb1).
Windward Islands: D. Smith, J. Charles, A. Fletcher, K. Lesporis, K. James, *L. Sebastien, D. Polius, +L. James, G. Mathurin,
N. Pascal, K. Williams.
Umpires: Clancy Mack, Nigel Duguid
Reserve umpire: Ricardo Brathwaite
Match referee: Mervyn Jones.
