ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, (CMC) - Captain Steve Tikolo captured three crucial post-tea wickets to place Kenya in charge against Jamaica on a rain-affected the third day of their Carib Beer Series fourth round match at the National Cricket Stadium yesterday.
Off-spinner Tikolo captured three wickets for 18 runs off 12 overs and Jamaica -- replying to Kenya’s first innings score of 302 -- closed at an unsteady 162 for seven, with Keith Hibbert not out on a fighting 31 and Jerome Taylor on one.
With approximately two hours lost to rain, Kenya’s bowlers kept control in the time allowed and the Jamaicans face an arduous task of getting a further 141 runs on today’s final day for first innings points.
During a stuttering morning session in which two rain stoppages accounted for the loss of an hour and a half, the Jamaicans advanced their overnight position from one without loss to 40 for one when rain forced the players off for an early lunch at 11.41 a.m. East Caribbean Time.
Brenton Parchment, who captained the West Indies Under-19s on their 2001 summer tour of England, belted three boundaries but his penchant for attack brought about his downfall and gave the Kenyans their only success of the morning at 34 for one.
The right-handed Parchment, attempting to cut a short delivery from pacer Peter Ongondo, edged to Maurice Odumbe at slip after scoring 21.
Kenya had a fruitful post-lunch session in which they snared three crucial wickets in the space of only 11 runs while Jamaica dipped from 55 for one, to 66 for four.
Maurice Kepple (17) went first after the break.
Immediately after being dropped at slip against off-spinner Odumbe, he gave a bat/pad catch to teenager Rageb Aga at short leg, and five runs later, Dave Bernard (5) cut a chest-high catch to Aga at point off Ongondo at 60 for three.
West Indies reserve wicketkeeper/batsman Carlton Baugh, back from his African trip with the Test team, failed in his first outing for Jamaica.
Brijal Patel held a tumbling catch to his right at mid-on to remove the little right-hander for one as he drove medium pacer Lameck Onyango.
Number six batsman Tamar Lambert -- joining Mario Ventura -- faced only two balls before rain again forced the players off the field 35 minutes before the scheduled tea break and kept them in the pavilion until a restart at 3.03 p.m.
The left-handed Ventura and Lambert lifted Jamaica’s hopes with a 51-run stand for the fifth wicket in 89 minutes.
But Lambert’s departure at 117 for five to Tikolo, who also removed Ventura and captain Gareth Breese with successive balls late in the evening, swung the first innings race considerably in the Africans’ favour.
Lambert (26) was caught at forward short leg by Aga and after wicketkeeper Hibbert and Ventura added 37 for the sixth wicket, Ventura gave Tikolo an easy return catch as he attempted to drive.
Ventura, defiant and stodgy, especially in the first part of his innings, has top-scored so far with 45 and his 167-ball knock contained seven boundaries.
Breese, struggling for runs this season, went first ball -- caught at slip as he edged a muscular swipe at Tikolo before Taylor and Hibbert held on to the end.
Hibbert has so far struck three boundaries.
Tikolo’s efforts were well supported by Ongondo, with two for 35 off 20 overs, Onyango, one for 30 off 14, and Odumbe, one for 46 off 19 overs.
KENYA 1st innings 302 (K.Obuya 104; A.Richardson 5-42)
JAMAICA 1st innings (o/n 1 without loss)
B.Parchment c Odumbe b Ongondo 21
M.Kepple c Aga b Odumbe 17
M.Ventura c & b Tikolo 45
D.Bernard c Aga b Ongondo 5
C.Baugh c Patel b Onyango 1
T.Lambert c Aga b Tikolo 26
K.Hibbert not out 31
G.Breese c Patel b Tikolo 0
J.Taylor not out 1
Extras: (b-10, lb-2, nb-3) 15
Total: (for 7 wickets) 162
Fall of wicket: 1-34, 2-55, 3-60), 4-66, 5-117, 6-154, 7-154.