ARNOS VALE, St Vincent (CMC) — Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood narrowly missed out on his fourth first-class hundred and Jamaica Franchise made little use of his effort, as they collapsed to hand the advantage to Windward Islands Volcanoes on the opening day of their sixth-round clash here yesterday.

Opting to bat first at Arnos Vale Stadium, Jamaica were dismissed for 204, with the right-handed Blackwood striking 96.

Wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh chimed in with 33 and opener Nkrumah Bonner got 20, but the trio were the only batsmen to pass 20, as Jamaica squandered a position of 128 for three.

At the close, the Windwards had raced to 41 without loss, only 163 runs adrift of taking command of the game.

Tyrone Theophile was unbeaten on 23 and was partnered by Test opener Devon Smith on 17.

The Windwards, however, owed their position to left-arm spinner Alston Bobb, who claimed his third five-wicket haul in first-class cricket to undermine Jamaica.

Having recovered from a shaky position of 61 for three, Jamaica were cruising along, thanks to a 67-run stand between Blackwood and Baugh.

Overall, Blackwood punched 10 fours and a six off 202 balls in a little under four hours at the crease, while Baugh registered five boundaries off 68 balls in 78 minutes.

Left-arm seamer Delorn Johnson broke the stand when he removed Baugh and soon afterward, Horace Miller tapped a return catch back to off-spinner Liam Sebastien for two, with the score on 133.

Blackwood once again led the Jamaica fightback, combining with David Bernard Jr (18) to add a crucial 59 for the sixth wicket and steer the visitors to 184 for five at tea.

The innings imploded after the break, however, as Bobb ran through the lower order to engineer a collapse where five wickets fell for 12 runs in quick time.

Unbeaten on 95 at the break, Blackwood was eighth out – one of three wickets to fall with the score on 192.