Easterns stay in the hunt

Close Easterns 313 & 28 for 2 (Seymore 8*, Cullinan 0*) need another 257 runs to beat West Indians 334 & 263

Scorecard

West Indies were indebted to their stand-in captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan, as Easterns continued to keep up the pressure on the third day of the tour match at Willowmoore Park. Sarwan top-scored with 72 and added exactly 100 for the sixth wicket with Vasbert Drakes, after Eastern's first-innings centurion, Albie Morkel, had chipped in with two early wickets.

West Indies had resumed on 27 for 0, a lead of 48, but lost Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul early in the day. When Carlton Baugh followed for 31, Easterns had taken the honours in the morning session.

Daren Ganga contributed a stabilizing half-century, but when he was run out for 51, Ridley Jacobs followed for a torturous 27-ball 1 in the very next over, and at 136 for 5, West Indies were in a spot of bother. But Drakes and Sarwan steadied the ship, and batted on for the remainder of the session. But Easterns weren't finished there, and when Drakes was eventually prised out by Gareth Flusk, the final five wickets fell for 27.

Easterns had a highly gettable target of 285, although their run-chase began inauspiciously when Dylan Jennings fell for a first-ball duck, caught and bowled by Adam Sanford. Zander de Bruyn then had his off stump plucked out of the ground by Ravi Rampaul, as bad light brought the day to an early close.