PCL First-Class cricket… Leewards Hurricanes were in a good position against Jaguars

Mar 12, 2016 Sports

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By Sean Devers in Antigua
In Association with Noble House Seafood and Care Cottages Antigua

The Leewards Hurricanes were in a good position against defending Champions Guyana Jaguars at the end of day one of their PCL Four-Day First-Class cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium yesterday as the Guyanese team toiled long and hard all day in sweltering heat.
When stumps were drawn the hosts had reached 237-3 with Montcin Hodge on 74 from 218 balls, 253 minutes with nine fours. Skipper Orlando Peters was with him on 29 and the last placed team was making the top played side work hard with little success to show for it. Left arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (2-44) has the best figures for the Jaguars who left out Gudakesh Motie and Keon Joseph. The 26-year-old Kerion Powell, back for the Leewards after a self imposed two-year break from cricket to flirt with a Baseball career, stroked seven four and a six in a 54-ball 55 which lasted 69 minutes. Powell and West Indies under-19 batsman Keacy Carty added 76 for the first wicket. Carty batted for 136 minutes, 98 balls with five fours.
Montcin Hodge (74 ) and Daron Cruickshank (43) then added 58 for the third wicket, while Hodge and Peters have shared in an unfinished 65-run fourth wicket stand.
Leewards Hurricanes, without their Skipper and leading scorer Jamaican Nkrumah Bonner who returned to Jamaica due to a death in his family, won the toss on a track with a tinge of green and elected to bat. Powell began with consecutive off-side boundaries off Ronsford Beaton in the first over of the day. He looked as if he had not been a day away from cricket and his confidence increased the longer he batted. Powell pulled Raymon Reifer viciously for four, while the 18-year-old Carty leaned onto the front foot and caressed Reifer gloriously to the cover boundary. Powell, who has three tons from 21 Tests, hammered Chris Barnwell majestically for the sixth boundary of the innings, while Carty played the supporting role.
Powell played an audacious cut to post the 50 in the 10th over before Powell celebrated the landmark with a baseball-like hit for the first six of the match. The left-hander from Nevis stroked Barnwell sweetly past mid-off for his sixth four before reaching his 22nd First-Class fifty from 48 balls and 52 minutes. But just after reaching his first fifty for the Leewards since March 2014, Powell smashed a low full-toss to Reifer at cover as the Jaguars finally made the break-through in the 15th over.
Hodge joined the sedate Carty as spinners Devendra Bishoo and Permaul were introduced. Carty, watched by less than 10 fans in the stands, stroked Bishoo pleasantly through cover for four as he and Hodge (17) who pounded a short ball from Bishoo to the boundary, took the Hurricanes to Lunch at 104-1 after the 100 was posted in 26 overs. Carty, St Maarten’s first West Indian cricketer at any level, was not out on 29 at the interval.
After the interval, Carty drove Permaul for four while Hodge collected a boundary off Barnwell and Carty was caught and bowled by Permaul at 114-2. Cruickshank got going with consecutive fours before Hodge (25) was dropped at second slip by Vishaul Singh off Beaton who watched in dismay as Cruikshank was badly dropped at point by Bishoo off his bowling at 125-2 in his next over. A magnificent cover driven boundary off Permaul by Hodge brought up the 150 in the 48th over as the Hurricanes continued to score at a decent clip before rain stopped play for 10 minutes. When play resumed, Cruickshank went after Bishoo and clobbered him for two brutally boundaries over his head as the partnership flourished under clear blue skies and rolling Hills in the distance. Cruickshank danced into Permaul and effortlessly dumped him for four before begin trapped LBW in the same over at 172-3. His 43 lasted 67 balls, 76 minutes with six four and a six. Cruickshank dominated the half-century stand with Hodge. Peters (1) joined Hodge (45) to take the score to 180-3 from 62 overs by Tea.
After the break the Hurricanes continued to score freely with Peters jumping into Bishoo and depositing him for back-to-back sixes, while the 28-year-old Hodge reached 12th First-Class from 171 minutes, 142 balls with five fours. Hodge, who has been playing at this level since 2008, and Peters soon put together the third half-century partnership of the innings from 178 balls with a delightful extra cover off Bishoo as both batsmen looked a broad as the sightscreen. A heavy shower accompanied by a howling wind which blew away the covers almost taking the ground staff with it, stopped play 16:36hrs with four overs in the day remaining and it never restarted.

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