There remains guarded optimism within the Jamaica Scorpions camp despite them languishing in deep waters heading into the third day of the regional four-day contest against Windward Islands Volcanoes at Sabina Park in Kingston.

At the close yesterday, the Scorpions were 76-4 in their second innings, still trailing the Volcanoes by 106 runs with six wickets intact.

Out-of-favour West Indies Test batsman Nkrumah Bonner is 36 not out, while nightwatchman Gordon Bryan is on one.

The Volcanoes fast bowler Daurius Martin has impressed with 3-29.

Pacer Bryan, who helped the Scorpions stage a bowling fightback, urged his team to turn a new leaf today.

“We lost two wickets too [many] but it’s the game of cricket, so we have to forget this day and come tomorrow [today] fresh…we have to go out there, be confident and take care of business,” the 31-year-old told the Jamaica Observer at stumps yesterday.

Bryan, bowling far more accurately than he did on the opening day to beat the outside edge on a number of occasions, finished with 4-64.

“I bowled well in patches, to be honest, but otherwise things went according to plan. There were some nerves yesterday [Wednesday] but today [yesterday] I just came and fixed that.

He admitted there was some frustration at times.

“I just reminded myself it’s the game of cricket, so I had to carry on. It’s a two-paced pitch so you just need to bowl in the right areas and let it [the ball] work,” Bryan said.

The Volcanoes’ left-hand batsman Johann Jeremiah, who top-scored with 80 as the visitors marched to 341 runs for a first-innings lead of 182 runs, praised his bowlers’ effort for setting up the game when they dismissed the Scorpions for 159 on Wednesday.

“I must commend our bowlers for restricting Jamaica to a low total in the first innings. We’ve been playing some good cricket, our bowlers have been doing pretty well for us, so it’s just for us to stick to the game plan and execute,” the Grenadian, who turns 25 next week, said.

Yesterday, the Volcanoes, who resumed from their overnight score of 157-2, pushed on to 341 all out on what remained a good pitch, which offered a fair battle between bat and ball.

Jeremiah, whose polished knock came off 151 balls, was supported by half-centuries from Shamar Springer (71) and Ryan John (57).

The Scorpions rearguard began in the first session, as they broke up the overnight pair of Sunil Ambris and Jeremiah. Ambris (45) went first, caught by Abhijai Mansingh off the off-spinner Peat Salmon to end a 79-run stand.

Jeremiah, who batted with assurance while hitting 11 fours and a six, followed when short leg fielder Carlos Brown grasped a sharp catch low to his right for Salmon’s third wicket of the innings.

Another moment of brilliance gave the hosts further momentum, this time wicketkeeper Romaine Morris dived to his right with immense agility to claim a one-handed catch down the leg side when left-hander Shadrack Descarte (one) glanced a Bryan delivery.

Bryan, who swung the ball appreciably away from the right handers, got further reward when a driving Tevyn Walcott (20) feathered a catch to Morris.

John and Springer steadied the innings, carrying the Volcanoes safely through to lunch at 219-6, and the two batted out almost the entire post-lunch session in an entertaining partnership of 118 runs.

But on the cusp of the tea interval, John, who hit five fours and three sixes in his 85-ball 57, was caught at long leg by the quick-thinking Derval Green. The Scorpions player tossed the ball in the air before his momentum took him over the boundary rope and then stepped back onto the field to complete the catch.

Springer pushed on serenely thereafter but he eventually popped a catch back to Gordon when the pace bowler got extra bounce from a good length delivery.

Marquino Mindley, who had been wicketless throughout, then had Shermon Lewis and Daurius Martin edging successive deliveries as Captain Jermaine Blackwood, at second slip, snatched both catches.

Weighed down by a huge deficit, the Scorpions responded tentatively to searing questions posed by the Volcanoes fast bowler Daurius Martin. He sent back Carlos Brown and West Indies Test left-hander Kirk McKenzie — both for duck — as the Scorpions sputtered to 7-2.

After a brief recovery between Nkrumah Bonner and Chadwick Walton (20), the rangy Martin clean-bowled the latter with one that nipped back at off stump.

Late in the day, Blackwood (16) hung his bat at an away swinging delivery from pacer Ryan John and edged to slip as the Volcanoes maintained an iron grip on the match.

In the other regional four-day match hosted in Jamaica, Barbados Pride made 344-8 declared against Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) at Chedwin Park in St Catherine. At the close, the CCC team was 10-1.

Wednesday’s opening day in the Pride vs CCC encounter was abandoned after a hose from a water sprinkler which had been left on overnight waterlogged a section of the outfield, making play impossible until yesterday morning.