NAIN, St Elizabeth, (CMC) - West Indies pacer Darren Powell rocked the Leeward Islands with a four-wicket burst that placed Jamaica in charge on the opening day of their seventh round Carib Beer Series match at the Alpart Sports Club yesterday.
After Carlton Baugh’s vital unbeaten 87 that lifted Jamaica to 200 all out, Powell blasted out four top-order batsmen to leave the bottom-of-the-table Leewards wobbling at 39 for five at the close.
Captain Sylvester Joseph (24) and Ridley Jacobs (8) were the not-out batsmen with the Leewards still 162 runs short of their first innings target.
It was a satisfying finish for the Jamaicans, who had struggled with the bat earlier -- against off-spinner Chaka Hodge and pacer Adam Sanford -- and lost their captain Gareth Breese to a fractured forearm when he was hit by a delivery from Sanford.
Chris Gayle took over as the Jamaica captain in Breese's absence.
Beginning their response to the Jamaica innings midway the final session, the Leewards quickly tumbled to 19 for three against Powell, making his belated start to the season because of a back injury that also forced him out of his contract with Gauteng in South Africa.
An impatient Wilden Cornwall (2) was caught by David Bernard at cover, loosely swinging at Powell, who then bowled Codville Rogers (0) next ball at two for two.
The 25-year-old Powell celebrated again when Tonito Willett chased a wide ball and edged to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh without scoring, and it became 28 for four, when Ian Tittle was brilliantly run-out by Keith Hibbert.
Joseph stroked the ball to cover where Hibbert snatched the ball quickly and fired a direct hit at the non-striker’s end where Tittle (4) had strayed out of his crease looking for a single.
The usually steady Carl Tuckett (0) then gifted Powell his fourth wicket when he attempted a rash pull shot and lobbed a catch to Maurice Kepple at wide mid-on at 29 for five.
Earlier, the Jamaicans -- electing to bat -- had made an unsteady start to their innings as Sanford dislodged his West Indies team-mate Gayle (6) with just 18 runs on the board.
The left-handed Gayle played across the line and was bowled.
It became 36 for two when former West Indies youth pacer Gavin Tonge bowled Donovan Pagon, his team-mate at the 2002 Youth World Cup in New Zealand, for 11 off the inside edge.
And Sanford struck again before lunch, removing Tamar Lambert for seven, also bowled off the inside edge at 49 for three.
From a lunchtime position of 63 for three, the Jamaicans continued to struggle and by the tea break had lost a further four wickets, plus Breese retired hurt.
Without addition to the lunchtime score, Jamaica lost Kepple (20) to Hodge, claiming his first of three wickets in the session.
Kepple missed a drive and was bowled, and Hodge struck again 16 runs later when Bernard (7) popped an on-side bat/pad catch to Tittle at 79 for five.
Sanford ended Breese’s innings and season when the right-hander, on two, was struck on the foreman trying to negotiate a rising delivery shortly after the Dominica-born Antiguan had dislodged Hibbert with another one of his short deliveries.
Attempting to hook, Hibbert top-edged high for Dane Weston to take the catch at backward square.
Jamaica dipped to 141 for seven just before tea when Powell (12) was caught at short mid-wicket by Tittle as he tried to on-drive Hodge.
Odean Brown (1) was unable to add to his tea-time score before pacer Weston trapped him leg-before-wicket, but Baugh defiantly rallied the Jamaican innings, posting a shot-filled knock that contained nine fours and two sixes -- one confidently flicking Sanford to clear the mid-wicket boundary and the other, a pull shot off Hodge in the same area.
Although dropped by substitute fielder Shane Jeffers -- a difficult chance -- at second slip off Sanford on 17, Baugh batted positively throughout his innings.
He faced 116 balls and was 13 short of a fifth first-class hundred when Hodge bowled Andrew Richardson (4) to finish the innings.
Hodge ended the top bowler with four for 67 off 24.4 overs, and Sanford picked up three for 57 off 20 overs.
JAMAICA 1st innings
C.Gayle b Sanford 6
M.Kepple b Hodge 20
D.Pagon b Tonge 11
T.Lambert b Sanford 7
K.Hibbert c Weston b Sanford 26
D.Bernard c Tittle b Hodge 7
C.Baugh not out 87
G.Breese ret. Hurt 2
D.Powell c Tittle b Hodge 12
O.Brown lbw Weston 1
A.Richardson c Cornwall b Hodge 4
Extras: (b-1, lb-1, w-1, nb-14) 17
Total: (all out - 67.4 overs) 200
Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-36, 3-49, 4-63, 5-79, 6-101, 7-141, 8-147, 9-200.