A half-century from Devon Thomas was crucial in Weekes XI eking out a 58-run lead over Headley XI on the second day of the final match of the Headley Weekes Tri-Series at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Thursday.

Resuming from their overnight score of 61-3 in reply to Headley XI’s 177, Weekes XI were 155-7 still 22 runs behind when Thomas and Veerasammy Permaul added a crucial 68 for the eighth wicket that gave their side the small lead.

Earlier Alick Athanaze made 37 as he and Kacey Carty, who scored 12, took Weekes XI past 100 runs with a 46-run stand but both fell in quick succession to Anderson Phillip and then Hodge dismissed Kevin Sinclair and Dominic Drakes for 12 and 18, respectively, which resulted in Weekes XI slipping from 107-2 to 155-7.

The eighth wicket partnership that ended with Permaul’s dismissal for 35 and which gave Hodge this third wicket had taken Weekes XI to 223. However, once Permaul fell, it didn’t take long for the Headley XI bowlers to wrap the innings up.

Akeem Jordan bowled Thomas for 57 and Jordan bowled Jair McAllister for a duck with the score at 235.

Hodge took 3-46, Phillip 2-44 and Jordan 2-41.

By the close, Kieran Powell was dismissed by Dominic Drakes for nine and Hodge was caught and bowled by Kevin Sinclair for 28 but by then Headley XI had eked out a five run lead. Matthew Nandu remains undefeated on 26 and Sunil Ambris has a run on the board with Headley XI at 67-2 at stumps.

Dominic Drakes and Veerasammy Permaul each took three wickets as Weekes’ XI bowled Headley XI out for 177 on Wednesday’s opening day of the final match in the Headley Weekes Tri-Series at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

However, Headley XI’s bowlers have struck back having Weekes XI at 61-3 at stumps still trailing by 116 runs.

Drakes dismissed three of the five top order batsmen as Headley XI got off to a terrible start and were reduced to 74-6. Only opener Kieran Powell with 23 managed to get into double figures.

Kavem Hodge and Ackeem Jordan held the Weekes’ bowlers at bay with a partnership of 71 but then Jordan became Permaul’s 600^th first-class wicket when he was caught behind for 37. Kevin Sinclair soon after ended Hodge’s vigil for 67 and Permaul cleaned up the tail dismissing Chaim-Alexis Holder and Marquino Mindley for three and seven, respectively.

Drakes ended with figures of 3-17 while Permaul took 3-18.

In reply, Weekes’ XI lost Zachary McCaskie to Marquino Mindley for two but Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Raymon Reifer added 48 for the second wicket before Holder struck, dismissing Chanderpaul for 12 and 11 runs later, got Reifer for 34 as Weekes XI slipped to 61-3.

Holder has so far taken 2-2 while Mindley has 1-17.

Half-centuries Zachary McCaskie, Brandon King, Jahmar Hamilton and Kevin Sinclair have put Weekes XI in a strong position of 365-7 against West Indies Academy on the opening day of their Headley Weekes Tri-Series match at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Wednesday.

West Indies Academy fresh off their seven-wicket victory over Headley XI last week, won the toss and asked Weekes XI to bat. Tagenarine Chanderpaul and McCaskie laid a solid platform with an opening stand of 55.

However, Chanderpaul was then trapped leg before by Nyeem Young for 25, triggering a minor slide during which Kacey Carty was caught behind by Tevin Imlach for 12 off McKenny Clarke, who dismissed Alick Athanaze in similar fashion for a duck in his next over as Weekes XI slipped from 55 without loss to 82-3.

However, McCaskie and Brandon King put an end to the bloodletting with a fourth-wicket partnership of 136 in 35 overs that resurrected the innings. McCaskie would fall short of a deserved 100 when Kirk McKenzie had him caught by Ackeem Auguste for 93.

King continued on to 92 during a partnership of 39 with Jahmar Hamilton but then he became the third victim of the Imlach/Clarke combination to miss out on his century.

Hamilton than stitched together a stand of 74 with Kevin Sinclair but then was dismissed by Nyeem Young for 57. Sinclair soldiered on putting on 23 with Dominic Drakes who made 13 before he lost his wicket to Kevin Wickham for 13.

Sinclair will resume on 52 on Thursday with Veerasammy Permaul at the other end with the intention of taking Weekes XI past 400.

Clarke was the best bowler on the day with 3-91 while Young took 2-75.