DENNERY, St Lucia – Clint St Hill narrowly missed out on a century as Barbados grabbed first innings points over Trinidad and Tobago in their third-round TCL West Indies Under-19 Challenge match yesterday. Playing at the Dennery Playing Field on the second day, the right-hander scored 96 to push Barbados up to 270 in reply to Trinidad and Tobago’s first innings of 235. At the close, Trinidad and Tobago were eight without loss in their second innings.Resuming the day on 40 for two, Barbados benefited from a crucial 70-wicket stand between St Hill and Shai Hope (25) as they dominated the first session, keeping the Trinidadian spinners at bay.Trinidad and Tobago made the crucial breakthrough five minutes before the lunch break when Hope was caught at short cover by Kissoondath Magram off off-spinner Sachin Boodram (three for 63) at 109 for three.After the interval, Barbados lost wickets steadily as leg-spinners Magram (four for 71) and Yannick Cariah (three for 59), along with Boodram, got in among the middle order.Barbados slipped to 132 for five but St Hill and Justin Greaves combined in a 45-run, sixth-wicket partnership to send them to tea at 179 for five.St Hill hit ten fours in an innings that lasted 275 minutes, while the right-handed Greaves stroked a handsome 49 in just over three-and-a-half hours at the crease, counting three boundaries.Trinidad and Tobago struck a telling blow, however, when they removed St Hill first ball after the break, lbw to Boodram, and Barbados quickly slid to 181 for seven and in danger of being dismissed for under 200. Greaves and Jomel Warrican, who scored 22, rallied with an important 51 for the eighth wicket to put their side in sight of first innings points.Warrican fell at 232 and Greaves departed to a catch at cover off Magram six runs later, but the last-wicket pair of Rico Depeiza (19) and Shakeem Wilkinson (14 not out) produced some lusty hitting to add 32. (CMC)
