ST CATHERINE, Jamaica, (CMC) - Jamaica were unremorseful as they shut out a feisty batting challenge from Canada, in their Red Stripe Bowl match at the Port Esquivel ground yesterday.
Canada raised their game to compile a worthy 196 for seven from 50 overs, bowled by five of six bowlers with Test experience.
Jamaica then powered to 198 for four in 29 overs with a blistering 71 not out from Ricardo Powell.
Canada batted enterprisingly to reach close to 200 without being all out against the formidable Jamaica attack.
They were severely indebted to Don Maxwell who smashed five sixes and a similar number of fours in 65 from 85 balls.
After the first wicket went at 21, Maxwell came in to partner captain Iswar Maraj and the two batted positively to post 93 runs for the second wicket.
Maxwell, stood tall on his back foot and delivered huge boundaries when the ball was short and into his body, as he batted with a confidence that has been missing from the Canadian batting from the inception, causing them to fall for 69 and 112 in their two previous innings.
Maraj, a stylish front foot player, played the ball as straight as he could in getting up to 40, which is the second highest individual Canadian score in the tournament after Maxwell's half-century.
Maraj stroked three fours during his knock, which took 80 deliveries.
Wicketkeeper Ashish Bagai improvised well, to add meat to the final total, with an unbeaten 33, inclusive of one highly entertaining cross-batted swipe for four off Darren Powell, who bowled with sustained pace on an uneven but generally quick wicket.
Powell took the first two wickets when both Asif Mulla (9) and Maraj edged to Baugh behind the stumps and ended with those two wickets for 37 runs from a maximum 10 overs.
Gareth Breese also took 2 wickets for 22 runs from seven overs, while debutant pacer Andrew Richardson, Marlon Samuels and Chris Gayle each took one wicket.
Richardson is playing his first game for his country since first choice pacer Jerome Taylor is in Antigua taking part in a promotional television shoot.
As Jamaica commenced their reply, Brenton Parchment had his middle stump cart-wheeling from the first ball he received in the first over from Ashish Patel, as the Canadians started on an upbeat note.
Although Wavell Hinds and Gayle energised the crowd with a few boundaries, Gayle went, caught pulling a long-hop to short midwicket soon after in the seventh over for 15 (2x4) and Hinds went for 45 at 68 for three as he tried to clear the boundary.
A few uneasy hearts would have begun racing with three batsmen down, but Marlon Samuels and Ricardo Powell calmed all with an authoritative 67-run fourth-wicket partnership to take the total to 135.
Samuels hit the ball silkily and pleasantly for a run-a-ball 48, then as he tried to smash an innocuous full toss from off-spinner Kevin Sandher for six to reach his half-century, he mistimed the ball and was caught by Codrington, running from the backward square boundary.
Both of the West Indian batsmen struck six fours and one six each.
While Samuels was all footwork and wristy stroke play, Hinds was sheer muscle and brawn during his 30-ball knock.
Ricardo Powell, though, outdid everyone for the entire day, with muscle and was brawnier than any on show, as he top-scored with an unbeaten 71 from a measly 55 balls.
Powell, like Samuels and Hinds entertained the large crowd of about 2 000 fans with his usual cannoning brand of batting, slamming four sixes and six fours as the Canadians spilled him twice.
Though the strapping right-hander required mid-pitch medical attention for dehydration, Powell ended the game in a flourish, with two consecutive fours and a six off medium pacer Patel, to rocket Jamaica to the top of Zone A with 12 points.
Trinidad and Tobago take on Windward Islands today in a crucial clash at the Kensington Park in Kingston.
CANADA innings
*I.Maraj c wkp. Baugh b D.Powell 40
A.Mulla c wkp. Baugh b D.Powell 9
D.Maxwell b Richardson 65
K.Jethi stp. wkp. Baugh b M.Samuels 5
+A.Bagai not out 33
A.Shamshudeen lbw Breese 5
S.Jyoti c R Powell b Breese 16
A.Codrington b Gayle 2
Extras: (w-13, lb-7, b-1) 21
Total: (for 7 wkts - 50 overs) 196
Wickets fell at: 1-21, 2-114, 3-127, 4-140, 5-150, 6-186, 7-196.
Bowling: D.Powell 10-1-37-2 (w-3), Richardson 10-1-31-1 (w-4), Bernard 6-0-31-0 (w-6), M.Samuels 10-0-30-1, Gayle 7-1-37-1, Breese 7-0-22-2.
JAMAICA innings
C.Gayle c Shamshudeen b Jyoti 15
B.Parchment b Patel 0
W.Hinds c Mulla b Codrington 45
M.Samuels c Codrington b Sandher 48
R.Powell not out 71
*R.Samuels not out 11
Extras: (w-7, lb-1) 8
Total: (for 4 wkts - 29 overs) 198
Wickets fell at: 1-3, 2-34, 3-68, 4-135.
Bowling: Patel 8-0-55-2 (w-1), Codrington 4-1-16-0, Jyoti 3-0-23-1, Sandher 8-0-43-1 (w-1), Maxwell 2-0-26-0 (w-5), Samad 3-0-20-0, Jethi 1-0-14-0.
Umpires: Clyde Duncan and Clancy Mack.