Mohammed’s hundred fails to stop Jags’ unbeaten run; Moseley, Harding power Pride to victory; Smith claims single-season batting record as Volcanoes draw with Hurricanes
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – It was far from a mundane final day of the Digicel 4-Day Championship season, as Guyana Jaguars were formally crowned champions for the fourth straight year on Sunday.
Jaguars needed a mere 45 deliveries to complete an innings and 81 runs victory over Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, whose Jason Mohammed, the WINDIES One-day batsman, signed off the season with his seventh first-class hundred on the final day of the 10th round match at the Guyana National Stadium.
Jaguars captain Leon Johnson was beaming when he received the Headley/Weekes Trophy, symbol of WINDIES first-class supremacy, from CWI Director of Cricket and former WINDIES captain Jimmy Adams.
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Keon Harding followed up a second hundred of the season for left-handed opener Shayne Moseley with incisive fast bowling to rip apart Jamaica Scorpions’ batting and set up a 216-run victory for Barbados Pride at Kensington Oval.
And, Devon Smith covered himself in personal glory, when he collected his 35th first-class hundred, claimed the single season scoring record and shared a sensational, unbroken second-wicket stand with his captain Tyron Theophile, who notched a third first-class hundred, to earn Windward Islands Volcanoes a draw with Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Warner Park.
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force (135) & (324) lost to Guyana Jaguars (540-9 dec) by an innings and 81 runs in Providence, Guyana
Though Mohammed finished undefeated on 103, there was little joy for Red Force.
Mohammed faced 210 balls in nearly 4 ¼ hours at the crease, and counted 16 fours.
On 92 at the start, Mohammed received great support from Bryan Charles on the way to his landmark, as the pair put on 30 for the ninth wicket.
But Charles was bowled by left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul for 15 in the seventh over of the day and Anderson Phillip followed in the next over, lbw to Keemo Paul for 11.
Permaul ended with 3-73 from 29 overs and Paul finished with 3-118 from 19.5 overs to be the main destroyers in the Red Force second innings.
The wicket meant Permaul ended the season with 50 and Paul with 45.
The victory was the seventh for Jaguars and allowed them to finish the season unbeaten, but the defeat was the fourth on the trot for Red Force, leaving them to ponder what unfolded in a season they entered with great promise only to finish at the bottom of the table.
Barbados Pride (427) & 169-0 beat Jamaica Scorpions (247) & (133) by 216 runs in Bridgetown, Barbados
Needing a Herculean effort to avoid defeat, Scorpions found no such resolve after being set exactly 350 for victory and were bowled out about three quarters-of-an-hour into the final session.
The slim Harding, playing in his fifth first-class match, led the Pride’s young pace quartet dutifully, grabbing a career-best 5-66 from 10.5 overs.
Lanky left-arm fast bowler Dominic Drakes, son of former WINDIES all-rounder Vasbert Drakes, playing in his first match, due to injury to WINDIES fast bowler Miguel Cummins, and former WINDIES Under-19 all-rounder Justin Greaves completed the demolition with identical figures of 2-11 from four overs.
Earlier, Moseley, playing in his maiden first-class season, made an even, undefeated 100, as Pride declared about 25 minutes before lunch, after resuming a rain-marred day on 147 without loss.
Moseley, starting the day on 87, reached his landmark in an innings that spanned a shade over three hours, required 173 deliveries and included 11 fours and a six.
His senior partner and club-mate, WINDIES opener Kraigg Brathwaite, added eight to his overnight 50, hitting six fours off 105 balls.
After rain prevented play in the first session, Pride declared 31 balls into the second session, leaving the visitors with just under two sessions to survive.
The result gave the hosts their third win of the season, ensuring they finished a campaign that started on shaky ground in the runners-up spot behind the Jags for the fourth straight season. Scorpions’ fourth defeat meant they fell to fourth in the final standings.
Windward Islands Volcanoes (197) & 342-1 drew with Leeward Islands Hurricanes (405-9 dec) in Basseterre, St. Kitts
Smith slammed a majestic, undefeated 151 – his 29th WINDIES first-class hundred – and Theophile cracked a superb, unbeaten 160 – to erase any prospects of the Hurricanes claiming a season-ending victory.
The left-handed Smith, batting at three, started the match with 944 runs. His 5 ½-hour vigil which included 15 boundaries from 289 balls ensured not only that he became the fourth batsman to score 1,000 runs in a season.
He also eliminated the record of 1,068 held by former Jaguars and WINDIES batsman Narsingh Deonarine for the most runs in a single WINDIES first-class season.
His stand of 323 – unbroken – with Theophile also established a new record for the second wicket in the 152-year history of WINDIES first-class competitions.
The result however, meant more to Hurricanes, as they finished third in the table, their highest finish after more than a decade of languishing near the bottom.
For Volcanoes, it was satisfactory conclusion to a season that started in uncertainty, due to the destruction that Hurricane Maria wrought on their training base in Dominica. After struggling to find their feet in the first half of the season, they recovered to play unbeaten through their last five games.