Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) face a tough task if they are to avoid defeat against the Leeward Islands in their WICB Regional Four-Day match at the 3Ws Oval.
Heading into Day 3 today, the CCC are 73 for two, an overall lead of just 10 after the Leeward Islands gained a first innings lead of 63.
Replying to the CCC’s modest first innings total of 180, the visitors, who continued from their overnight total of 55 for three, were dismissed for 243 half-hour before the tea break.
CCC and Floyd Reifer, in particular, would have been kicking themselves during the interval, after Reifer muffed an easy opportunity to end the Leewards innings when the lead was just 22.
But Reifer failed to hold on to Anthony Martin’s edge to first slip off the bowling of fast bowler Kevin McClean when the score was 202 and Martin yet to score.
Martin went on to score 24 off 28 balls, as he and Akeem Saunders frustrated the CCC for 48 minutes in a last-wicket partnership which yielded 41 precious runs.
Earlier, Steve Liburd, along with Tonito Willett and Devon Thomas, helped to set the Leewards on their way to a sizeable score.
After the early morning dismissal of captain, Sylvester Joseph, for two, left them on 70 for four, Thomas and Liburd went about repairing the damage.
They had added 43 without much alarm when Thomas edged leg-spinner Akeem Dewar behind, to wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton.
His knock of 40 spanned 60 balls and contained five boundaries.
It was the partnership between Joseph and Willett which threatened to take the game away from the home side, though, the pair carrying the score to 168 for five at lunch, with Joseph on 47 and Willett 24.
Joseph brought up his half-century in the second over after play resumed. His half-century contained two fours and he faced 97 balls in 119 minutes.
However, two runs after Leewards passed the CCC’s total, Liburd was involved in a mix-up with Willett, and some brilliant fielding by Raymon Reifer saw him well short of his ground.
It paved the way for a CCC fightback with the next four Leeward wickets falling for 20 runs, as they stumbled to 202 for nine, before the last-wicket pair benefited from Reifer’s miss.
Shacaya Thomas and Anthony Alleyne opened the CCC innings with a boundary-studded partnership of 32 which contained five fours.
The quick dimissals of Thomas (21) and captain Kyle Corbin (1) threatened to turn CCC on their heads, but an unbroken stand of 38 between Alleyne (34 not out), and Raymond Reifer (17), will give the hosts hope.
