WILY WILLIAM: YMPC stalwart William Lashley en route to six for 66 against BRC BCL with his probing off spin. The umpire is Patrick Grazette. (Picture by Charles Pitt-Grant.)

by MIKE KING

at Beckles Road

WILLIAM Lashley, now in his 22nd successive Division 1 season provided further proof of his all-round value for Caribbean Lumber Company YMPC with a six-wicket haul that gave them the edge over BRC BCL in a hard-fought second day.

Lashley, 36, with his steady probing off spin, sliced through the middle order with the scalps of Sean Armstrong, Krisnan Hurdle, Dave Clarke and Nicholas Carter.

When the BCL fought back with a ninth-wicket stand of 61, the irrepressible Lashley who topscored with 76 last week, ended the defiance with the wickets of Karran Bhola and Kevin McClean.

Lashley grabbed six for 66 and will be badly missed on the final day next week as he will be in Atlanta on business.

By stumps, YMPC with a first innings lead of 17 extended their advantage to 135, at 118 for three with 6 ft, 3 in, left-hander Eric Batson smashing a belligerent unbeaten 61.

The day though was dominated by Lashley and the youthful BCL brigade of Christopher Yearwood aged 21, Kevin McClean [20] and Karran Bhola [19].

The left-handed Yearwood, a nephew of Desmond Haynes and a godson of Franklyn Stephenson, posted his highest Division 1 score 60 before he was leg-before to off-spinner Shamar Cooke.

When the BCL batting capitulated to Lashley and stumbled to 172 for eight, Bhola a product of Alexandra like Yearwood, hit 34 and McClean, who played first-class cricket this year for the Combined Campuses and Colleges made 25 to frustrate
the home team's attack.

Earlier in the day, there was one eventful over
in which Andre Ferdinand lifted the medium-pace
of Calvin Watson out of the ground, breaking
the back glass of Adrian Maynard's car.

With the next delivery, a short ball, Ferdinand took a blow on the shoulder and could only watch the ball trickle onto the stumps, dislodging a bail.

In the last hour and a half, Yutesh Dhanpaul, Steven Blackett and Lashley, all fell cheaply but the 24-year-old Batson, in search of his maiden Division1 ton, launched a bold counter-attack, with some crunching drives. He and captain Watson made sure there were no further alarms with a fourth-wicket stand of 46.