Date-stamped : 19 Jan1998 - 22:31 January 17,18,19, 1998 Barbados v Leewards, Kensington Oval Report from the Nation Preview by Haydn Gill A GROIN injury has ruled fast bowler Hattian Graham out of BarbadosÕ second round PresidentÕs Cup match against the Leeward Islands starting at Kensington Oval today. The 24-year-old Graham, who performed commendably in his debut match against Jamaica last weekend, sustained the injury on the final day of the match which ended in Kingston on Monday. Under the watchful eye of manager Tony Howard, coach William Bourne and captain Philo Wallace, Graham failed a fitness test at the Oval yesterday morning. ÒWe gave him a little test. He was not at full stretch and we have decided to give him a rest,Ó Bourne told WEEKENDSPORT. ÒI believe he should be fit for the next game.Ó Graham, a fast bowler blessed with a fine action, took two for 26 off 18 overs in JamaicaÕs first innings and when Barbados were under pressure in their second innings, he batted for almost three hours in making in defiant 24 that contributed towards a hard-fought draw. With West Indies ÒAÓ team players Floyd Reifer, Ricky Hoyte and Pedro Collins returning to the team, Barbados also omitted batsman Horace Waldron from the final XI. Having been easily swept aside by the Leewards in their last two meetings here, Barbados are seeking to avoid a third successive defeat at Kensington Oval. ÒThe Leewards are always tough. TheyÕve beaten us here over the last two years and weÕve got to put a stop to that,Ó Wallace said. ÒWe would love to get 16 points, but we know we have to play hard.Ó As Barbados went through their final practice session, manager Howard echoed WallaceÕs feelings about the strength of the opposition. The Leewards Islands came into BarbadosÕ backyard for the past two seasons and brushed aside the home team by eight wickets inside three days last season and they also won by six wickets in 1996. One of the main reasons behind the LeewardsÕ success was the prolific scoring of opening batsman Stuart Williams. The sweet-timing Nevisian, who is in his first season as captain, has reeled off four of his six Cup centuries against Barbados en route to an impressive aggregate of 906 runs in 13 innings. ÒWilliams has been a problem for Barbadian bowlers, but I think the thing to do is to bowl (at) him straight,Ó Howard said.ÒWeÕve given him too much latitude for years.Ó Despite being led on first innings in the opening match, Howard said the team did not play disappointingly. ÒThe guys are working hard. We have a few things we still have to straighten out. ÒContrary to a lot of opinion, the 135 we made in Jamaica showed a lot of character in the side. The team showed some depth, character and commitment to the effort. ÒIt was a bad wicket. If it was a really good track and the guys didn't bat properly, we would have had a lot of work to do.Ó The Leewards took first innings points in their rain-affected first match against Guyana in Anguilla. The teams: BARBADOS - Philo Wallace (captain), Sherwin Campbell, Adrian Griffith, Floyd Reifer, Roland Holder, Ricky Hoyte, Ian Bradshaw, Dave Marshall, Winston Reid, Patterson Thompson, Pedro Collins. LEEWARD ISLANDS (from) - Stuart Williams (captain), Lanville Harrigan, Junie Mitchum, Keith Arthurton, Dave Joseph, Ridley Jacobs, Carl Tuckett, Ronald Powell, Curtly Ambrose, Kenny Benjamin, Whitmore Quinn, Warrington Phillip, Alex Adams. Umpires: Dalton Holder (Barbados), Eddie Nicholls (Guyana). Match referee: Owen Estwick. Start: 10 a.m. Day 1: Barbadian Cricketers Under Pressure IN defence of a modest first innings total, Leeward Islands new ball pair Curtly Ambrose and Kenny Benjamin put Barbados under early pressure on the opening day of their second round PresidentÕs Cup cricket match at Kensington Oval, yesterday. Ambrose prised out Philo Wallace and Benjamin accounted for Sherwin Campbell and nightwatchman Dave Marshall as Barbados closed on 23 for three in reply to 224 all out. Captain Wallace, looking out of sorts, edged a drive to second slip where his opposite number Stuart Williams gleefully held the catch. Next over, Benjamin produced a lifter that forced Campbell to touch a catch to wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs. Over-confidence was MarshallÕs undoing. Having driven Ambrose beautifully to the mid-off boundary, he found himself in the next over needing to survive the last two balls of the day. But in essasying another drive, he snicked the penultimate delivery to Jacobs. All-rounder Ian Bradshaw, considered another nightwatchman and one of the five left-handed batsmen in the Barbados team and nine all told in the match, resumes today with an opportunity to prove his batting ability. As has often been the case, Barbados will be asking a lot of Roland Holder along with other specialist batsmen Adrian Griffith and Floyd Reifer and wicket-keeper Ricky Hoyte - all left-handers apart from Holder. The Leewards, who won the toss and suffered a middle order collapse during which five wickets fell for 49 runs, owed much to left-handed pair Keith Arthurton and Jacobs as two left-arm bowlers - pacer Pedro Collins and spinner Winston Reid kept the batsmen in check. Former Test cap Arthurton scored 50 while Jacobs topscored with 56. Arthurton, strong on the cut, counted nine boundaries in a knock which lasted 124 minutes. Jacobs hit eight fours and was at the wicket for 103 minutes. Veteran Reid, who at one stage bowled 14 overs for just two runs, ended with four for 49 off 30 overs. Collins picked up three for 45. Collins, who created an impression on the recent West Indies ÒAÓ team tour to South Africa, first struck by bowling Williams for eight in the sixth over of the innings with a delivery which flattened two stumps. Aggressive Lanville Harrigan (28) was caught at cover off BradshawÕs second ball after he replaced a wayward Patterson Thompson from the southern end. The innings was steadied by Arthurton and Junie Mitchum who added 61 for the third wicket before the collapse set in. Mitchum was at the wicket for just over two hours for 16 when he edged Collins to first slip. Source :: The Barbados Nation (http://www.nationnews.com/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)