Unlike the first two days when individuals led Jamaica’s charge with outstanding performances, it was a total team effort that contributed to the home team positioning themselves to secure victory over the Windward Islands which should come sometime before lunch today.

The first round WICB Regional Four-day cricket match at Chedwin Park could have ended a day early, had Jamaica taken their chances against a team full of will, but clearly lacking in allround talent.

The delay means that Jamaica need a further 78 to win with eight wickets standing, and despite the early second-innings hiccups of losing two wickets, victory should be sealed with ease.

Starting the march for the 98 runs required for victory under overcast skies and a sniff of rain close by, Jamaica lost opener Brenton Parchment for zero, his second failure of the match, driving his first-innings conqueror, pacer Nelon Pascal to cover, and Donovan Pagan for eight to the bowling of Rawl Lewis.

Scores so far: Windward Islands 181 and 251, Jamaica 335 and 20 for two.

Windwards allrounder Rawl Lewis came good again with the bat, scoring another half century, but he will likely buy the Jamaica players a few rounds after the match for prolonging the encounter when they could have ended things early, had they held onto chances offered.

Jamaica’s job had been made easier by pacer Andrew Richardson on Saturday, after he dispatched West Indies left-handed opener Devon Smith for a first ball zero, and early yesterday morning seamer David Bernard Jnr opened the way for the outcome to be only one thing, victory for Jamaica.

Bernard trapped nightwatchman Shane Shillingford for 12 and had Keddy Lesporis brilliantly caught at mid on by second day hero Wavell Hinds, for 13 by the time the total had climbed past 50.

Hinds’ one-handed catch, diving away to his left, wiped away earlier memories of earlier missed chances by Donovan Pagan and Odean Brown, the latter later making amends for flooring Andre Fletcher by having him leg before wicket for 21, as the Windwards seemed ready to surrender when lunch came up with the score 110 for four.

Jamaica’s team effort showed up more after the interval when Richardson’s throw from square leg found captain Darren Sammy (24) short of his ground as he attempted a run off Brown, the Windwards at that stage 120 for five, still 35 runs from wiping away the deficit.

Like he showed in the first innings, 21-year-old Dominican opener Tyrone Theophile brought a touch of class to his play. He was eventually out for a calculated 46, offering Brown a tame return catch at 125 for six, Jamaica saying to themselves then that it was only a matter of when.

Nikita Miller removed Liam Sebastien for four, but Lewis kept extending the action, aided by a floored caught and bowled chance offered to Bernard and a skier to Richardson in the deep off Miller that he too put down.

He brought up his 50 off 126 balls in 152 minutes, laced with five fours and a six, at the same time sharing a stand of 53 for the eighth wicket with wicketkeeper/batsman Lyndon James, whose 33 came in handy.

By the time Lewis was left unbeaten on 63, he had hit the ball out of the ground twice more and added another four to move his aggregate in the match to 144 runs.

Play will begin at 9:30 today to make up for time lost yesterday.

Scoreboard

Windward Islands (first innings) 181

Jamaica (first innings) 335

Windward Islands (second innings)

D Smith b Richardson 0

T Theophile c&b Brown 46

S Shillingford lbw Bernard 12

K Lesporis c Hinds b Bernard 13

A Fletcher lbw Brown 21

D Sammy run out (Richardson) 24

R Lewis not out 63

L Sebastien lbw Miller 4

L James c Pagan b Miller 33

K Peters lbw Lambert 26

N Pascal run out 0

Extras: (b5, lb1, nb3) 9

TOTAL: 251 all out (81 overs)

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-23, 3-53, 4-86, 5-120, 6-125, 7-130, 8-183, 9-228

Bowling: Richardson 7-0-39-1; Bernard 14-3-55-3 (nb3); Miller 33-12-71-3; Brown 27-8-71-2; Lambert 4-1-9-1

Jamaica (second innings)

B Parchment c Fletcher b Pascal 0

X Marshall not out 10

D Pagan c Pascal b Lewis 8

Extras (b1, nb1) 2

TOTAL: 20 for two

Fall of wicket: 1-2, 2-20

Bowling: Pascal 3-1-9-1; Peters 2-9-0-0; Lewis 1-1-1-1

Umpires: Clancy Mack, Vincent Bullen