Cornwall spins Hurricanes to big win against Harpy Eagles
A DESTRUCTIVE spell from their burly captain and champion off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall powered hosts Leeward Islands Hurricanes to a historic 273run win against defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles in the West Indies Championship yesterday in St Kitts.
Cornwall bagged six for 61 from 34 overs, and the Harpy Eagles, chasing a highly improbable, if not impossible 460 to win, were bowled out for 186 in their second innings on the final day of their second-round match at Warner Park.
Left-arm spinner Daniel Doram supported with two for 48 from 17 overs and helped Hurricanes demolish the Harpy Eagles batting to complete their second biggest win in the championship in terms of runs.
Several Harpy Eagles batsmen got starts, but they failed to carry on – West Indies Test opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul led the way with 47, Veerasammy Permaul made 30, Kevlon Anderson got 26, Kemol Savory added 24, and Raymond Perez and Kevin Sinclair hit 23 each.
Pacer Jeremiah Louis formalised the result when he got Permaul caught behind about 20 minutes before the tea break, and Hurricanes completed only their fifth win in 15 matches against Harpy Eagles since 2014.
Unofficial calculations suggest the result meant that Hurricanes have moved into second in the standings – behind leaders Windward Islands Volcanoes – while Harpy Eagles are seventh in the eight-team table.
Next round, starting this coming Wednesday, Hurricanes face Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the same venue, and Harpy Eagles travel to the neighbouring island of Antigua, where they will take on the Cricket West Indies Academy at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
Harpy Eagles started the day on 67 for one, and they were set back in the first hour when Cornwall bowled Raymond Perez in the ninth over of the day after the batsmen added only three to his overnight score and put on 63 for the second-wicket stand with Chanderpaul.
The wickets of Chanderpaul to pacer Colin Archibald and Harpy Eagles captain Kevlon Anderson to Doram either side of the visitors reaching 100 put them further in the hole, and they limped to 120 for four at lunch. Cornwall swung the match decisively in the first hour after the interval when he trapped Sinclair lbw before removing Ronaldo Alimohamed, Savory, and Anthony Adams in successive overs, and Harpy Eagles sank to 158 for eight.
Doram struck with the fifth ball after the drinks break when he bowled Neiland Cadogan for a duck, and Permaul indulged himself while he brought the match to a flourishing end, striking three fours and two sixes from 29 balls.
The match will long be remembered for rookie Hurricanes opener Mikyle Louis using the comforts of home to accomplish the rare feat of scoring hundreds in each innings of the match after the Kittitian followed up his firstinnings 113 with 130 in the second innings to set the foundation for his side’s win.
Louis anchored Hurricanes to 352 in the first innings, and he extended the lead of the home team after they had bowled the Harpy Eagles out for 188, propelling them to 295 in their second innings, setting up the improbable run chase.