GROS ISLET–Devon Smith smashed his second century in two innings for the Windward Islands to lead his team to a convincing eight-wicket victory over the Combined Campuses & Colleges at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia, yesterday.
Akeem Dewar and Nekoli Parris resumed the Windwards' second innings and it took all but 90 minutes before Nelon Pascal struck. After getting to 52, Dewar pulled straight to Garey Mathurin at short midwicket and CCC were 246/7.
Result
CCC 284 & 309
(Dewar 52, Pascall 5/81)
Windwards 409 & 189/2
Windwards won by 8 wickets
Leewards 182 & 322 (Jahmar Hamilton 106, Larry Joseph 12; Veerasammy Permaul 35-15-67-5)
Guyana 279 & 173/6
Match drawn
With just half-hour to lunch, Pascal engineered an almighty collapse.Twelve runs after the wicket, Parris' pull shot off a good bouncer from Pascal fell right into the lap of Keddy Lesporis at deep square leg.His patient knock of 37 ended at 258/8.
Kevin McClean's drive peeled off the outside edge and Theophile made the catch at point.Jason Dawes didn't last long as Pascal finished with figures of 16-2-81-5, leaving the Windwards 185 runs to get from 60 remaining overs.
If the CCC were to stay in the game, they needed wickets quickly, especially that of opener Devon Smith. Instead, what they were greeted to was an early assault. Smith and Theophile went after the students' bowling. By the time the score was on 32, Smith had already crashed four boundaries. Theophile, too, provided a good opening partnership again.
He played many shots of his own, but at most times played spectator to Smith.The opening stand was 91 before Theophile was caught behind trying to cut Dewar. Smith and Fletcher took the hosts to tea on 115/1, leaving 70 runs to get in the final session. They put on 45 runs from 77 balls until Fletcher tried to paddle sweep Ryan Austin. The ball came off his thigh and knocked the bail off leg stump.
Keddy Lesporis battled his way to 16, putting on a partnership of 25 with Smith, before edging Raymon Reifer to Anthony Alleyne at second slip. But the day was all about Smith, who, with under 20 runs to get, completed his second hundred of the match, and his 21st first class century.With Donwell Hector, Smith found a partner and took the Windward Islands home by seven wickets. He finished unbeaten on 101.In the other match, rain brought a premature end to what was shaping into a close finish.
Needing 226 for victory, Guyana reached 173 for six before rain brought the game to an end.
