B'dos Wins Carib Beer Cup

Barbados crushed the Leeward Islands by seven wickets inside three days to stroll to an unprecedented 18th regional first-class title with a game to spare. On a rain-interrupted day, the Leewards crashed from 94-4 to 98 all out with pacers Tino Best and Ian Bradshaw doing the damage.

Best finished with 4-26 to push his season haul to 28, while Bradshaw picked 2-26 (match haul 6-89) and 25 wickets for the season. Set 57 for victory, Barbados triumphed in 12 overs.

It was the fourth victory for Barbados this season -- all completed within three days. The win pushed Barbados to 60 points

GUYANA WIN FIRST INNINGS

India "A" openers, Guatam Ghambir and Akash Chopra, led a spirited second innings fight-back after their side had trailed Guyana by 126 runs on first innings in their crucial sixth round Carib Beer 2003 Series match at Bourda yesterday.

At stumps, the visitors had already wiped off the deficit and led by 10 runs, rushing to 136 without loss in 139 minutes batting in the 35 available overs, with Gambhir on 73 and Chopra on 55.

Making a bold attempt to get back into the game after Guyana were dismissed for a first innings 375 in reply to 249, the left-right combination of Ghambir and Chopra treated the sprinkling of spectators to a flurry of attacking strokes to all parts of the Bourda outfield, forcing Guyana captain, Neil McGarrell, to use seven bowlers, all to no avail.

Chopra was first to his 50 in 110 minutes with eight fours, but Ghambir, whose 50 was also laced with the same number of boundaries, sped past his partner in the fifties.

The Guyanese fielders however had two chances to dismiss Ghambir -- Mahendra Nagamootoo flooring the left-hander on 26 and India "A" on 67, and he was also put down by Krishna Arjune on 49 and India A on 107.

Earlier, led by an enterprising career-best 88 from McGarrell and 78 from middle-order batsman Travis Dowlin, Guyana were dismissed on the stroke of tea, their highest score in this year's tournament.

The experienced McGarrell, who bolstered the Guyana lower-order with his attacking innings, featured in three important partnerships, adding 51 for the eighth wicket with Dowlin, 41 with Rayon Griffith (10) for the ninth and 50 for the last with Esuan Crandon (21 not out).

Fast medium bowler Avishkar Salvi stood out for the visitors with five for 58 in 29.3 overs, while leg-spinner Amit Mishra bagged four for 123 in 44.

Windwards, Windies 'B' in Tense Struggle

West Indies "B" pacer, Jason Bennett, sent back four Windward Islands batsmen to leave the game evenly poised on the third day of their sixth-round Carib Beer 2003 Cricket Series match at the Botanical Gardens yesterday.

At stumps, Windward Islands were 97 for four wickets in their second innings, after securing a first innings lead of 65 runs -- a lead of 162. They had earlier bowled West Indies "B" out for 273 in their first innings.

The 20 year old Bennett first sent back Rommell Currency (16), who chopped a ball into his stumps, after he and Devon Smith (49) had mustered 46 for the first wicket.

Four runs later Bennett, who bowled 13 overs unchanged, trapped Liam Sebastien (0) leg before wicket.

The fast medium bowler, who hails from Barbados, then induced an edge from the in-form Smith which was taken by wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh.

Smith's 49 from 80 balls included eight fours as he batted for 114 minutes. John Eugene (10) became Bennett's fourth victim as he too was trapped LBW.

Kenroy Martin, yet to score, joined first innings century-maker Junior Murray (12) and the two saw the innings to close. Bennett's four wickets came from 13 overs and he conceded 25 runs.

Earlier, West Indies "B", resuming on 194 for five wickets, carried on to reach 273 all out, as Narsingh Deonarine (77) added three to his overnight score.

Narsingh, who captained the West Indies to the 2002 World Youth (Under-19) tournament, was caught by Smith at first slip as he tried to guide leg-spinner, Olanzo Jackson, down through the slip region.

Taylor Rocks T&T

For a third straight day, only a handful of Trinidadians came to Queen's Park Oval despite the absence of an entrance fee. Those who took time to visit the 107 year-old ground yesterday can't have regretted it.

They saw 18 year-old Jamaican pacer, Jerome Taylor, in only his third game, join the five-wicket club in dramatic style to give Jamaica a real chance of maximum points against Trinidad & Tobago on today's fourth and final day of their sixth round Carib Beer Series game.

In 14 overs of accurate, demanding and sustained fast bowling, the pencil-slim Taylor removed Imran Jan (7), Andy Jackson (90), Dwayne Bravo (11), Daren Ganga (39) and Lincoln Roberts (0) to reduce T&T to 195-6 -- a lead of 81 with just four second innings wickets standing.

They will resume today with the talented teenager, Lendl Simmons on 23, and Dave Mohammed on one, facing an uphill struggle.

Scores at the end of a day in which both Jackson and Jamaican, Gareth Breese (98), fell painfully close to three figures: T&T 218 and 195-6; Jamaica 332. - (Jamaica Observer)