ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — A slender first-innings lead of 15 runs is all that separates defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles and the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force halfway into their intriguing contest in the final of the West Indies Championship here on Monday.

The Red Force’s slight advantage at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was set up by a last wicket partnership of 98 between Jayden Seales and Anderson Phillip that saw them eventually being dismissed for 260 in 73.5 overs.

Resuming the day on 240 for nine, the pair added 20 more valuable runs before Keemo Paul brought the innings to a close by dismissing Phillip for 26, leaving last man Seales unbeaten on a career-best 70 not out off 100 balls, inclusive of seven fours and two sixes.

Seales then returned to also do damage with the ball, claiming four wickets as the Harpy Eagles were bowled out for 245 in 69.4 overs to leave the match in the balance heading into Tuesday’s penultimate day.

Similar to the Red Force, the Harpy Eagles were bailed out by their lower order after losing half of their wickets with less than 100 runs on the board.

In-form opener Matthew Nandu failed to trouble the scores, edging a delivery from Seales to be caught behind by the keeper, with the West Indies fast bowler also accounting for the wicket of his partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul for 33, to leave the score 37 for two.

Kevlon Anderson made just nine before Terrance Hinds had him adjudged lbw, and when Hinds dismissed both skipper Tevin Imlach and Kemol Savory for 17, the Harpy Eagles were in dire straits at 93 for five.

Their blushes were saved by an 82-run stand for the sixth wicket between Jonathan van Lange and Keemo Paul, that resuscitated the innings and gave them hope of gaining a first-innings lead.

But four runs short of a well-deserved half-century, the teenaged van Lange was undone by a delivery from Seales that he could only edge behind to the keeper.

With any Harpy Eagles recovery resting on the back of Paul, he reached his seventh first-class half-century, but almost immediately after was bowled by pacer Joshua James for 51 from 100 balls to put the Red Force in control at 197 for seven.

However, the defending champions were saved by some useful contributions from the tailenders, with Gudakesh Motie scoring 33, Shamar Joseph contributing an unbeaten 16, and Veerasammy Permaul making 10 to get them within touching distance of the Red Force’s total.

Seales ensured there would be no last-wicket heroics by the Harpy Eagles by dismissing Motie to give his side the smallest of advantages.

He ended with figures of 4-55, Hinds claimed 3-46, and Anderson Phillip 2-90.