A 55-run last-wicket stand between veteran Rohan Nurse and No. 11 Aamir Thomas lifted Super Centre Spartan to 182 all out against CGI Maple, for whom new captain Renaldo Parris took five wickets, on the opening day of the 2013 season.
Maple’s opening pair Pedro Agard and Jed Yearwood erased 18 of the first innings target in ten overs by the close.
Parris, who previously captained the St James club in 2005, elected to give the hosts first knock under cloudy skies and his decision appeared to be vindicated when he grabbed four wickets with his underrated offspin as Spartan slumped to 127 for nine early in the post-tea session.
The visitors spurned a prime opportunity to wrap up the innings when Yearwood, fielding at mid-off, misjudged a skied catch offered by Nurse off the Shane Ramsay’s bowling with the partnership still in single figures.
Nurse would eventually fall to Parris for 65, counted four boundaries in his 139 ball, 157 minute knock, while Thomas’ contribution, though only nine runs, spanned an hour and a half.
Swing bowler Kirk Brome caused the home side’s top order batsmen plenty of problems with late outswing with the new ball and accounted for the first three dismissals; both openers offering catches to the wicketkeeper and Marrodon Bend caught at point off the leading edge.
Nicholas Carter, batting at No. 3, was the only one to play Brome with any assurance and led a brief recovery with Reydon Toppin, who helped to add 35 for the fourth wicket before three wickets tumbled with the score on 91.
Parris, who dismissed Toppin and Andre Gill with successive deliveries, saw the hat-trick averted by opposite number Jabbar Niles. He returned figures of five for 37 off 20.2 overs with Brome, three for 45, providing the main support.
