Jamaica Scorpions spinner Jeavor Royal pointed to the team’s at times loose bowling as Joshua Da Silva-inspired Trinidad and Tobago Red Force put the hosts on the back foot on the protracted opening day of the West Indies Championship four-day cricket match at Sabina Park on Wednesday.

When action – which was interrupted by a combination of bad light and light rain in the afternoon — ended just on the brink of 6:00 pm, the Red Force were 308-7 with Terrance Hinds, on 21, and left-hander Khary Pierre, on one, are the not out batsman.

Da Silva, the Red Force captain, underlined his class as the region’s premier Test wicketkeeper/batsman with a cultured fifth first-class hundred.

The 25-year-old played at a high tempo throughout, driving, cutting, sweeping and pulling the bowlers to all parts of the venue during his knock of 106. The main support came from in-form left-hander Amir Jangoo (51).

Peat Salmon, the Scorpions’ stand-in skipper, has taken 2-62 with his off spin, while left-arm finger spinner Royal, who dismissed Da Silva, has claimed 2-76.

“We bowled decently in the first two sessions, and I think in the last session they got away a bit from us [because] we bowled a bit too short. The rain played a big part, with the stop and start and stuff like that got the better of us this evening,” Royal, 25, told journalists at the close.

Da Silva said the match is set up well for his team to take a stranglehold on the contest.

“It’s always good to score 300 runs in a day… so we’ll just come tomorrow and see how many more we can get,” he said.

He said a few bad balls early in his innings allowed him to settle after the Red Force has slipped to 96-4 early in the afternoon session

“I got a few opportunities to get some boundaries… and it got the blood flowing pretty nicely. They [the Scorpions] were a bit inconsistent with the bowling, so it presented opportunities for me to score,” Da Silva explained.

Earlier, the Scorpions won the toss and decided to bowl first on what was a mostly overcast day in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital.

The 23-year-old pacer Andre McCarthy, one of three Scorpions debutants in this match, was introduced as the first bowling change. He used the new ball with good control while also getting appreciable swing away from the right handers.

The former St Elizabeth Technical schoolboy cricket standout made the early breakthrough when he shaped one away from opener Cephas Cooper (12) which induced an edge to wicketkeeper Romaine Morris.

Left-handers Kjorn Ottley and Jyd Goolie added 52 runs for the second wicket before the Red Force suffered a double blow close to the lunch break. The opener Ottley went first, driving in the air off the 31-year-old Salmon to be caught by Jeavor Royal for a 76-ball 45.

Not long after, left-arm finger Royal got his first wicket when former West Indies batsman Jason Mohammed was adjudged leg before wicket for one.

Emerging from the break on 84-3, the Red Force added only a further 12 runs before Goolie (19) edged Salmon to Morris.

Jangoo, who made a double century in the Red Force’s last match, and Da Silva then combined in a stylish, positive partnership of 80 runs for the fifth wicket.

It was broken when Jangoo took on one short ball too many off fast bowler Shields and top edged to pull to Royal in the deep. Jangoo made 51 from 90 balls, which comprised seven fours and a six.

Part-time spinner Javaughn Buchanan, playing in only his second match at this level, got his maiden wicket when he dismissed debutant left-hander Navin Bidaisee (31). The entertaining, sixth-wicket stand between Bidaisee and Da Silva amounted to 92 runs.

As play went past 5:30 pm, Da Silva was bowled off the inside edge by Royal as the Red Force were pegged back at 304-7. The compact right-hand batsman walked off soaked in sweat after hitting 15 fours and a six off 140 deliveries.