Scores: Lucas 107 all out (Christopher Gayle 50, Rawle Lewis 23); Hall 6-20, Marlon Samuels 2-12; Melbourne 216 for five (Robert Samuels 53, Aubrey Wollaston 63, Colin Fletcher 33 not out); Casper Davis 2-55.
A six-wicket haul by veteran pacer Junior Hall, a century opening stand by West Indies test discard Robert Samuels and Aubrey Wollaston, steered Melbourne to a very important first innings points over Lucas in their fourth round County cricket game at the Melbourne Oval yesterday.
Lucas won the toss and elected to bat but found the fiery Hall, who was playing his first County game this year, too hot to handle.
Hall removed the cream of Lucas' batting before lunch, getting rid of opener Kevin Riley (4), the dependable Gayle who struck eights fours in his half-century, Lewis and Givance (1) before lunch to have the visitors tottering at 94 for six. He returned after the interval to grab the wickets of Davis and Xavier Gilbert.
When Melbourne replied, the unusually cautious Robert Samuels and the attacking Wollaston ensured that the host took command from the start despite the efforts of Davis to pin them down, primarily because his opening partner Xavier Gilbert was harshly treated by Wollaston.
Wollaston slammed nine fours before he swung wildely at spinner Paul Beckett to lose his middle and off stump, while Samuels who hit six boundaries also fell to Beckett on the long-on boundary courtesy of Oneil Cruckshank's effort.
At Kaiser
Scores: Surrey 356 for seven declared (Murphy 108 not out, Mario Ventura 62, Wavell Hinds 52); Alonso Harris 2-52, Ricardo Powell 2-72), Middlesex 77 without loss.
A unbeaten century of 108 by Bryan Murphy put Surrey in charge of their game against Cornwall.
At Chedwin Park
Scores: Cornwall 174 in 45.1 overs; St. Catherine C.C. 142 for one after 23 overs.
Jamaica Under-19 offspinner Bevon Brown playing in his first County match captured five wickets, while Tony Powell and Milton Thomas scored unbeaten half centuries as St. Catherine Cricket Club took command against Cornwall yesterday.
Only Sheldon Gordon with a brisk 45, Owen Graham 38 and captain Everton Coach 33 offered any resistance to Brown with five for 41 from 13.1 overs and pacers Oneil Richards three for 45 from 13 overs and Audley Sanson two for 16 from five overs.
At the close, St. Catherine only need a further 32 runs to collect first innings points over Cornwall. Powell has so far scored 63 not out from 54 balls including one six and eleven fours, while Thomas was unbeaten on 52 including three huge sixes. Delroy Taylor made 21.