Auguste shines before rain cuts short play

BELFAST, Ireland (CMC):

A boundary-studded, unbeaten half-century from former West Indies Under-19 captain Ackeem Auguste was the highlight for the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Academy against hosts Emerging Ireland before rain intervened in their first-class match on Thursday.

The 20 year-old left-hander from St Lucia struck 11 fours in 70 not out from 91 balls in a little under two hours at the crease, and the Caribbean side were 148 for three in their second innings - still trailing by 93 - when adverse weather brought an early close on the third day of the four-day match at Stormont.

Kadeem Alleyne supported with 38 and shared 84 for the first wicket with Auguste before he was run out when confusion brought both of them to the same crease, but none of the other CWI Academy batsmen that came to the crease could spark on a day when only 37.5 overs were possible.

The visitors needed less than an hour to wrap up the Emerging Ireland innings, and dismissed them for 441 to concede a 241-run, first innings lead.

Nyeem Young ended with two for 55 from 15 overs and Antiguan pacemen Kelvin Pitman finished with two for 65 from 18.5 overs and shared the last three wickets after the Irish started the day on 397 for seven.

Young, who captained the team in the preceding One-day, 50 overs-a-side matches and the first four-day match, made the breakthrough when Fionn Hand fell for 79 because of a remarkable reflex catch from Alleyne in gully, ending a 65-run, eighth-wicket stand with Liam McCarthy, the last man out for 30.

CWI Academy reached 108 for two at lunch after Alleyne was run out, and Andy McBrine bowled West Indies Under-19 wicketkeeper-batsman Jewel Andrew for 13 in the penultimate over before the interval.

After lunch, CWI Academy captain Teddy Bishop was leg before wicket to left-arm spinner and first innings wrecker-in-chief Matthew Humphreys for nine - but, only five minutes later, the rain came to stall the action for the remainder of the day.