A five-wicket haul by Nikita Miller and an incisive opening burst by Jerome Taylor on the second day of the seventh and final round match in the Regional Four-day Championship at the 3Ws Oval started a Jamaica fightback yesterday after Combined Campuses and Colleges ended the opening day in a commanding position.
CCC, resuming the day on 59 without lost in reply to Jamaica’s first day score of 182, were dismissedd for an unsatisfactory 161.
Jamaica, who need to win the game outright in order to prevent CCC from gaining the final semi-final spot, closed the day on 79 for two, a lead of 100 with eight second innings wickets in hand.
Trinidad and Tobago, defending champions Barbados and the Windward Islands have already secured semi-final spots.
Taylor, racing in from the Ramadhin And Valentine end of the ground, plucked out the stumps of the dangerous Shacaya Thomas (33) with the first ball of the day.
Without addition to the score left-handed Raymon Reifer edged to the keeper for a duck. Fifty-nine for two became 68 for three when Kyle Corbin (22), distracted by a spectator walking in-front of the sight-screen as Taylor delivered, snicked for another keeper’s catch. Â
Left-armer Nikita Miller complemented Taylor’s early spell of 7-2-13-3 by decimating the middle and lower order of the CCC batting in a marathon spell of 31 overs, 16 maidens, 31 runs, 5 wickets.
Chadwick Walton (7), player-coach Floyd Reifer (11), captain Steven Jacobs (20) were all deceived in flight and leg before wicket. Jomel Warrican (4) and Paul Palmer (4) both lost patience. Warrican was stumped for four after batting for 39 minutes while Palmer was caught in the deep for a similar score.
Left-handed Kevin McClean exhibited the temperament missing from the top order batsmen to top score with 36 from 83 balls after batting for 99 minutes. He was last out after arriving with the total on 106 for six.  Â
Jamaica have so far fared better in their second innings, closing the day on 79 for two.
Openers Nkrumah Bonner (12) and John Campbell (38) are the two casualties, both caught by Kyle Corbin who has now taken 21 catches for the season. Jermaine Blackwood (23) and Marlon Samuels (3) were not out at the close.
