BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) - Fast bowler Ryan Nurse returned career-best figures to bowl front-runners Barbados to a commanding 162-run triumph over West Indies-B before lunch on the last day in their top-of-the-table fourth round match of the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series at the Three Ws Oval yesterday.
Nurse captured seven wickets for 41 runs from 15 overs to send West Indies-B crashing to 139 all out about 40 minutes before the lunch interval, after Barbados boldly declared their second innings on 217 at tea on the previous day and set them 302 to win.
The Barbados fast bowler ended with match figures of 11 for 60 to earn the man-of-the-match award.
Shawn Findlay’s 34 (made on Sunday) was the top score for the B-Team and there were supporting knocks of 20 each from opening batsman Ryan Ramdass and Danza Hyatt. But it was another weak batting performance from the development side and once more highlighted the paucity of quality batsmen in the Caribbean.
The B-Team continued from their bedtime position of 94 for three and lost Danza Hyatt after half-hour when he was adjudged lbw to Nurse playing across a well-pitched delivery. He batted just over two hours, faced 84 balls and struck three fours.
Once he was removed, wickets tumbled at a regular rate. Kenroy Williams was also lbw to Nurse for one, playing across another well-pitched delivery, Patrick Browne was caught behind off Nurse for 16, and Ryan Austin was caught at silly mid-off for a duck as four wickets fell for six runs in the space of 48 balls.
For close to half-hour, Austin Richards, Jr. and Jason Bennett looked like they would try to extend the match beyond the lunch interval, but Nurse had Richards caught at extra cover for two and the last three wickets perished for 17 in 29 balls.
Barbados continue to lead the standings with a maximum 48 points from four matches and will now face Kenya in the fifth round at Windward Sports Club in Barbados, while West Indies-B drop back to third on 24 points and meet Jamaica at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua.
BARBADOS 1st innings 217 (F. Reifer 44; R. Austin 3-87)
WEST INDIES-B 1st Innings 131 (S. Findlay 41; R. Nurse 4-19)
BARBADOS 2nd innings 215 for eight declared (S. Graham 66; R. Austin 3-73)
WEST INDIES-B 2nd innings (target: 302 runs) (overnight 94 for three)
J. Haynes b Best 5
R. Ramdass c wkpr Browne b R. Nurse 20
S. Findlay b Best 34
D. Hyatt lbw b R. Nurse 20
P. Browne c wkpr Browne b R. Nurse 16
K. Williams lbw b R. Nurse 1
A. Richards c Best b R. Nurse 2
R. Austin c Mayers b R. Nurse 0
J. Bennett b R. Nurse 9
D. Washington c (sub.) Lopez b Benn 5
D. George not out 4
Extras: (lb-7, w-5, nb-11) 23
Total: (all out) 139
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-40, 3-82, 4-112, 5-114, 6-118, 7-118, 8-122, 9-135.