Trinidad and Tobago Red Force made a sluggish return to the West Indies Championship as they struggled to find rhythm with the bat on the opening day of their fourth-round contest against West Indies Academy at Coolidge Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

Despite boasting the tournament’s leading run-scorer and wicket-taker, Red Force looked a shadow of their in-form selves before the break, closing the day at 129-6. Captain Joshua Da Silva, on 30, and Khary Pierre, on 24, are set to resume on Thursday, looking to repair the damage.

After being sent in to bat, the Red Force innings got off to a rocky start. Openers Cephas Cooper (zero) and Tion Webster (eight) fell cheaply, leaving the team reeling at 10-2.

However, Amir Jangoo (22) and Jason Mohammed (32) gradually steadied the innings with a 41-run third-wicket stand. Jangoo, whose 55-ball knock included four boundaries, appeared settled before he was dismissed by Nathan Edward.

Mohammed, the tournament’s leading batsman, continued to anchor the innings, forming another promising 38-run partnership with Da Silva. But his resistance was cut short when he edged Johann Layne behind after a 55-ball stay featuring five fours.

The Red Force’s situation quickly went from bad to worse as they collapsed from 89-4 to 91-6. Layne, who had already dismissed Mohammed, struck twice in quick succession to remove Yannic Cariah (one) and Joshua James (zero).

With the innings in freefall, Da Silva and Pierre, the tournament’s top wicket-taker, dug in to stall the slide, adding 38 runs for the seventh wicket to close out the day. They will now look to build on their partnership and push Red Force towards a competitive first-innings total on day two.

For the West Indies Academy, it was a dominant day with the ball, led by the impressive Johann Layne, who has 4-20 from 12 overs, including four maidens to his credit so far, while Jediah Blades (1-34) and Nathan Edward (1-23) provided strong support. They will aim to wrap up the Red Force innings cheaply and early on Thursday.