Jonathan Carter earned the Player-of-the-Match award after he gathered an unbeaten 71 and guided Barbados Pride to a four-wicket victory over Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the West Indies Championship on Saturday.
Carter struck five fours and two sixes from 131 balls in three hours at the crease, and Pride successfully chased 195 for victory on the rain-affected final day of the first round match at Kensington Oval.
The long-serving Pride left-handed batsman shared 67 – unbroken – for the seventh wicket with Keon Harding to carry the hosts over the finish line after they stumbled to 12 for six following an inspired burst from Hurricanes pacer Jeremiah Louis after tea.
Pride reached 99 for two at the break, but Louis removed Raymon Reifer, Shane Dowrich, and Shamar Springer to end with 4-50 from 14 overs and put the home team’s chase in peril of failing to come ashore.
But Harding, not out on 23, was the perfect foil for his more accomplished teammate and batted resolutely through the final hour-and-a-half before Carter ended a personally rewarding match with a single to backward point off Terrence Warde’s off-spin about 45 minutes past the regularly scheduled close.
Carter also took three wickets in the match, including a couple crucial breakthrough, and held four catches, mainly at slip, and Pride earned 21 points that included three batting, three bowling, and three pace bowling points.
In the second round of matches, Pride face Jamaica Scorpions, starting on Tuesday at Kensington Oval.
Earlier, rookie Pride left-arm pacer Ramon Simmonds ended with 4-64 from 21 overs and Hurricanes were bowled out for 364 in their second innings about 15 minutes after the rescheduled lunch interval.
Pride were frustrated before wrapping up the Hurricanes innings when the weather interrupted twice, and the visitors’ captain Jahmar Hamilton defied them for 47 and Louis resisted for 44 to extend their side’s lead.
Pride lost left-handed opener Shayne Moseley caught at second slip off Louis, edging a loose drive in the third over of the chase, but his Wanderers teammates of Pride aptain Kraigg Brathwaite and left-hander Raymon Reifer added 58 for the third wicket.
Brathwaite, the incumbent West Indies Test captain, was bowled for 29 about three quarters-of-an-hour before tea, playing across, but Pride reached 99 for two at the break before strife broke out, and Carter came to their rescue.
Summarised scores:
Hurricanes 172 for nine declared (Devon Thomas 58, Kieran Powell 43, Jahmar Hamilton 29, Kacey Carty 20; Keon Harding 4-42, Jonathan Carter 2-9) and 346 (Devon Thomas 112, Kacey Carty 55, Jahmar Hamilton 47, Jeremiah Louis 44, Kieran Powell 27, Terrence Warde 12, Nino Henry 12, Rahkeem Cornwall 10; Ramon Simmonds 4-57, Kraigg Brathwaite 2-7, Keon Harding 2-69).
Pride 324 (Shamar Springer 91, Shane Dowrich 86, Kraigg Brathwaite 29, Jonathan Carter 25, Raymon Reifer 23, Chemar Holder 22, Shayne Moseley 13; Rahkeem Cornwall 4-99, Colin Archibald 3-47, Terrence Warde 2-42) and 195 for six (Jonathan Carter 71 not out, Raymon Reifer 45, Kraigg Brathwaite 29, Keon Harding 23 not out; Jeremiah Louis 4-50, Rahkeem Cornwall 2-69).
(AR)