Barbados on the run

The Busta Cup cricket match between Jamaica and Barbados enters its fourth and final day at Sabina Park today and after three days of firing away at each other in a contest billed as a showdown, the home team is in sight of victory.

At the end of yesterday's action, Barbados, set a victory target of 357 in a minimum 113 overs, were on the run at 48 for four after 23 overs, and with the defending champions trailing by 308 runs with only six wickets in hand, with at least 90 overs to go, and with fast bowler Courtney Walsh and offspinner Nehemiah Perry on the warpath, Jamaica appear on the doorstep of a resounding victory.

Score at the close of the third day's play: Jamaica 195 and 318, Barbados 157 and 48 for four with Adrian Griffith on 11 and Roland Holder on zero.

With first innings points already in the bag, Jamaica, without fast bowler Franklyn Rose who is nursing an injured toe, made an impressive bid for victory when, Barbados, boasting five Test batsmen at the top of the order, set out on what from the beginning appeared a difficult task.

Bowling from the south, Walsh hit Barbados a stinging blow when he bowled Philo Wallace for one at 12 for one; Perry made it 37 for two when Sherwin Campbell, on 22, went back, cut, and Christopher Gayle took the catch after the ball had bounced off wicketkeeper Mathew Sinclair's gloves; Perry made it 47 for three when the left-handed Floyd Reifer, 7, attempted a square-drive and hit the ball to James Adams and cover; and coming from the north, Walsh made it 48 for four when he bowled night watchman Dave Marshall for one.

With Griffith and Holder at the crease, with Courtney Brown and Ryan Hurley to come, Barbados possess enough ammunition to make a fight of it - if not to win at least to draw.

Ninety overs is a long time in which to dodge, however, and with Walsh - two for 21 off seven overs, and Perry - two for nine off six, plus medium-pacer Laurie Williams and offspinner Gayle to support them, chances are the Bajans will not survive.

Rose, who took six wickets, including the hat-trick, in Barbados' first innings, batted at number 11 with a runner yesterday. He did not take the field in Barbados' second innings, however, and even if by some miracle he turns up fit and ready this morning, he will not be able to bowl until after 100 minutes - the time Barbados batted yesterday.

Resuming their second innings on 148 for five and 185 in front, Jamaica stretched their lead to 356 - thanks to Robert Samuels, who hit one six and seven fours while scoring 55 in 191 minutes off 156 deliveries, Sinclair, who stroked three boundaries while scoring 40 in 235 minutes off 172 deliveries, and to Walsh and Rose who knocked up 29 runs for the last wicket.

After coming together on the previous day following the fallof Ricardo Powell and Wavel Hinds in fading light, Samuels and Sinclair, both on zero overnight, denied Barbados, short of injured left-arm pacer Pedro Collins, an early breakthrough, frustrated them, and went on to post a valuable sixth-wicket partnership of 102 in 191 Samuels, after failing to score in the first innings and probably playing for a place in the team against Trinidad and Tobago in Jamaica's next match, batted well and played some lovely strokes before, at 250, he cut at right-arm legspinner Marshall and edged a catch to Campbell at slip.

Samuels' boundary strokes included a lovely hit over midwicket for six off Marshall, and what is best described as a shot of class, the one which brought up his half-century, a magnificent straight-drive off pacer Henderson Bryan.

The toast of the day, however, was Sinclair - the night watchman who rose to the occasion in style and was eighth out at 272 when when he drove Marshall to Reifer at midwicket.

Batting sensibly and confidently, against the pace of Bryan and Dayne Maynard who finished with two for 59 and four for 68 respectively, and against Marshall, four for 96, and the offspin of Hurley, Sinclair also played some delightful strokes - including a spanking cover-drive off slow bowler Campbell and a delicate late cut off Marshall.