Shane Dowrich scored his eighth first-class century to rescue defending champions Barbados Pride in the West Indies Championship in Trinidad yesterday, despite a devastating knock from West Indies Test player Rahkeem Cornwall.
Pride skipper Dowrich scored a purposeful, unbeaten 116 at The Oval, which took them to 294 for 8 in their first innings at the end of their opening day, taking them to within three crucial batting points.
The 31-year-old wicketkeeper shared a couple of half-centuries in the second half of the day after spinner Cornwall threatened the Pride batting with a six for 50 in 24 overs.
Cornwall dismissed left-armer Shane Mosley for four, fellow opener Zachary McCaskey for 26 and rookie Jonathan Drakes for 22 as the Pride were struggled for 57 for three at lunch.
However, captain and West Indies Under-19 graduate Kevin Wickham managed to build a 93-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Cornwall got Wickham for 41 and for West Indies Under-19 World Cup winner Shamar Springer for four and Pride slumped to 164 for six at tea.
After the break, Dowrich received strong support from left-hander Dominic Drakes, Pride coach Vasbert Drakes, son of the former Barbados and West Indies fast bowler, and former Hurricanes off-spinner Chaim Holder.
Accordingly, Drakes scored 22 to build a 47-run partnership with the captain for the seventh wicket, while Holder scored his career-best 43.
Big man Cornwall was the main bowler for the Hurricanes with six wickets for 50 runs.
BARBADOS PRIDE 294/8 (Shane Dowrich 116 not out, Chaim Holder 43, Kevin Wickham 41, Zachary McCaskie 26, Jonathan Drakes 22, Dominic Drakes 22; Rahkeem Cornwall 6-50) vs LEEWARD ISLANDS HURRICANES.
Burley off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall and part-time medium pacer Devon Thomas destroyed the Barbados Pride batting in the West Indies Championship match in Trinidad.
Cornwall ended with five for 19 from 7.2 overs to finish with match figures of 11 for 69, and Thomas grabbed a career-best five for 22 from nine overs, and defending champions Pride – leading by 168 on first innings – were bowled out for a meager 78 in their second innings.
Barbados looked set to bat when top scorer Zachary McCaskie (29) and Shayne Moseley (27) put on a 59-run opening stand.
But in a shocking and sudden batting collapse, the Pride lost 10 wickets for 19 runs to their fourth-lowest total in the modern era (since 1966) of the Championship.
Big man Cornwall opened the floodgates when McCaskey was dismissed in his third over and the Barbados innings collapsed on 51 balls.
At the end of yesterday’s match, Leeward Islands Hurricanes chasing 247 runs scored 13 runs without losing in two overs.