AFTER the Jamaica Scorpions batted out the day to close on 275-6, Barbados Pride’s Jomel Warrican said honours are even entering the third morning of the West Indies Championship four-day cricket match at Chedwin Park.

Midway the final session on Monday the Pride had appeared to sneak in front as the Scorpions fell to 211-6 but an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership between Peat Salmon and left-hander Romaine Morris balanced the scales.

Salmon is on 38 not out while Morris is on 35 as the Scorpions homed in on the Pride’s first-innings score of 348. Carlos Brown has top-scored for the Scorpions so far with 61.

“I think it [match situation] is very even right now. Jamaica have put themselves in a good position to bring down the lead. At one stage we were in the ascendancy [to take] a decent lead but they fought back,” the 33-year-old Warrican said at day’s end.

West Indies left-arm spinner Warrican, who stuck to a disciplined line and length, has 2-40 from 24 overs, and said the Scorpions batsmen offered very few chances on a docile pitch.

“Today they decided to be patient, so well done to them, but we’ve got to find a way to get wickets tomorrow. It was surprising that it played so flat — I thought it would spin a lot more,” he noted.

Brown, who hit seven fours from 141 balls, said while the batting conditions appeared good, it was not easy to find the boundary due to the heavy grass in the outfield.

“On this wicket it’s difficult to score on even though it’s a flat one [as] the outfield is a little bit thick,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

He said he also had to be watchful because of how well the Pride bowlers executed.

“I watched how Barbados batted on the wicket, and got to see how others went about their innings, and I saw stuff that I applied in my innings. Barbados had a plan to bowl straight so I tried to play as straight as possible,” Brown, 26, explained.

The Scorpions had resumed in the morning from their overnight score of 17-0 without loss, in sunny conditions at the St Catherine-based venue.

The opening pair of left-handers John Campbell (34) and Kirk McKenzie (31) patiently constructed a 65-run partnership for the Scorpions.

Campbell, the West Indies Test batsman and the Scorpions’ top run-scorer last season, was the first to go when he mishit a drive off the bowling of medium pacer Kyle Mayers and was caught at mid-on.

McKenzie was joined by Brown and the two lifted the Scorpions to 93.

But McKenzie was drawn into a cover drive by a flighted delivery from left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop, but could only offer a chance to Kraigg Braithwaite who took it on the second attempt.

Left-hander Javelle Glenn, who scored nearly 500 runs for the Scorpions last season, was dismissed lbw by pacer Johann Layne for 18.

Brad Barnes also went lbw, trapped in front by Warrican before the tea break for 10 with the score on 168.

At the other end, Brown kept fighting the wave of Barbados Pride pressure, mixing an obdurate, focused defensive approach with elegant stroke play.

But his resistance was broken immediately on the resumption. The persistent Warrican was the instigator, getting the first delivery after tea to turn sharply and scratch the edge of Brown’s bat through to wicketkeeper Leniko Boucher.

Abhijai Mansingh was run out for 10 after indecision between him and Morris not long after the Scorpions crossed the 200-run mark.

However, Salmon and Morris survived a few nervy moments and the second new ball to repel the Pride in a 64-run stand.

— Sanjay Myers

Barbados Pride bowler Jomel Warrican (second left) and teammates Kyle Mayers (left) and Johann Layne (right) celebrate the dismissal of Jamaica Scorpions batman Brad Barnes during the West Indies Championship four-day match at Chedwin Park.

Brad Barnes (left) of Jamaica Scorpions congratulates teammate Carlos Brown for reaching 50 against Barbados Pride during the West Indies Championship four-day match at Chedwin Park.