Trinidad and Tobago Red Force remained in the driving seat, up to press time, on day three of their opening West Indies Four-Day Championship tie against Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on January 31.
In reply to TT’s first innings score of 504/6 declared, CCC were dismissed for 222 on the third day, trailing by 282 runs, and were sent back in to bat by Red Force skipper Bryan Charles.
Up to press time of the day/night, pink-ball contest, CCC were 46 without loss after 22 overs, trailing by 176 runs, and the final day’s play on February 1. At the crease were openers Damel Evelyn (25 not out) and Johann Jeremiah (17 not out).
When the visitors resumed day three on 114/2 in their first innings, trailing by 433 runs, overnight batsmen Jeremiah (60) and Shaqkere Parris (20) added only five runs before TT leg-spinner Yannic Cariah had the latter edge to wicketkeeper Antonio Gomez.
Cariah and fast bowler Joshua James combined well in the first eight overs, before skipper and off-spinner Charles joined the attack. Cariah and Charles spun webs around Jeremiah and new batsman Kyle Corbin (24) as they could only produce six runs from the next ten overs.
Jeremiah broke the lag in runs after he stepped back to punch through cover for four, off Charles. However, three runs later, Charles had Jeremiah play into Cariah’s hands, caught at backward point.
The spin-duo struck again soon after when Cariah thread the ball through new batsman Demario Richards (two) and onto his stumps, to send CCC to a challenging 151/5.
Corbin punished Charles’ short, wide delivery for four through backward point but stood no chance four balls later, as the TT leggy rattled the middle stump.
Akeem Jordan (seven) got off the mark with a well-executed reverse sweep against Charles, but Cariah quickly took revenge, bowling the right-handed batsman.
At that stage, CCC were 164/7, adding only 50 runs to their overnight score and losing five wickets in the process.
Abhijai Mansingh (27) showed some tenacity when he lifted Charles through mid-wicket for the first six of the day. He and Andre Bailey (13) partnered for a fair 36-run stance to bring CCC up to 200 runs.
While there, Charles introduced Tobagonian James to the attack. Four balls into his spell, the umpires called for the new ball, to which James put to immediate use.
The very next ball, James had Bailey drag the ball onto his stumps, to give the young TT pacer his first four-day wicket for Red Force. Three overs later, James uprooted Mansingh’s off-stump with a beautiful delivery to send CCC to 207/9.
Ojay Shields (ten) and Avinash Mahabirsingh (nine) put on a cameo knock to add 15 runs, before Khary Pierre had the former bowled.
CCC were dismissed for 222, trailing TT’s first innings score of 282 runs.
Cariah (3/26) shone the brightest with the ball while James (2/24), Pierre (2/50), Charles (2/56) and Tion Webster (1/23) also finished among the wickets.
Sent back in to bat, CCC openers Evelyn and Jeremiah played slow
