BARBADOS Pride stayed in command of the third-round regional four-day cricket match against Jamaica Scorpions despite losing two crucial wickets in late afternoon at Sabina Park.

Entering today’s penultimate day of the encounter, the Pride are 179-6 in their second innings, giving them an overall advantage of 260 runs after they had secured a first-innings lead of 81.

Scores: Pride 219 (66.5 overs) & 179-6 (58.2 overs); Scorpions 138 (44.3 overs)

West Indies Test wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, who made a stylish 73, and left-hander Kyle Mayers, with a typically forceful 53, were the mainstays for the Pride in a 112-run, fifth-wicket stand before Scorpions left-arm spinner Patrick Harty dismissed both.

Ashley Nurse is unbeaten on two, while Mayers was sent packing off what turned out to be the last delivery of the day.

Jamaica Scorpions pacer Nicholson Gordon, 28, has led the way so far with 3-27.

Yesterday, the Scorpions resumed from their overnight score of 53-6 under sunny conditions in Kingston, with Denis Smith on seven and Derval Green yet to face a ball.

The going was tough for the hosts as the Pride bowlers, like they did on Thursday’s opening day, got the ball to seam around on the grass-covered pitch.

Green and Grenadian-born wicketkeeper Smith ran well between the wickets, forcing a number of sharp ones and twos to add 49 runs for the seventh wicket. The partnership was broken when Green (25) chipped a full ball from pacer Keon Harding to Captain Kraigg Brathwaite at mid-on.

It was 115-8 when Marquino Mindley (nine) flashed a drive at West Indies pacer Kemar Roach’s full delivery and was poached by Nurse in the slip cordon.

At that stage the end appeared nigh for the Scorpions.

However Smith, kept out of the team by Aldaine Thomas until selectors lost faith in the Jamaican-born glove man for this contest, and Gordon battled against accurate bowling to bring the home team to lunch at 135-8.

The relentless Pride team wrapped up the Scorpions’ innings inside the opening 15 minutes of the post-lunch session. Gordon (seven) was dismissed by left-arm finger spinner Jomel Warrican, and Smith (35) went to Harding.

The former West Indies Under-19 pace bowler Chemar Holder, who impressively captured five wickets on the opening day, ended with 5-45.

Armed with a vital first-innings boost, Barbados Pride had their tails up, but the loss of three quick wickets had them hobbling to tea at 41-3.

Brathwaite (one), the badly out-of-form West Indies Test opener, was the first to go, driving a delivery from Gordon straight to the tumbling Rovman Powell at mid-off.

Gordon also got rid of Shamarh Brooks (five) — who fell to the short ball on a miscued pull. And speedster Mindley got one to seam away from left-hand batsman Jonathan Carter (six) for wicketkeeper Smith to finish the business behind the stumps.

Left-hand opener Sheyne Moseley, who stood tall in the first innings with 64, pulled to deep square leg and was caught by Oraine Williams for a painstaking 19.

The 28-year-old Dowrich, who played a number of delectable shots around the wicket, and the hard-hitting Mayers took over in the final session.

But just when it seemed the pair would bat out the rest of the day, Harty got his first wicket of the match when Dowrich top-edged a sweep to Gordon at short fine leg. The wicketkeeper/batsman caressed nine fours from 118 deliveries.

Harty struck another significant blow as the sunlight faded when he trapped Mayers leg before wicket. The left-hander powered five fours in his 89-ball knock.