BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Jerome Taylor and Marlon Samuels enhanced their claims for a recall to West Indies duty for assignments in the near future, when they put Jamaica in charge against Barbados in the WICB Regional first-class championship on Sunday.

Taylor collected five wickets for 69 runs from 23.4 overs, as Barbados were dismissed for 322 about 45 minutes before tea on the third day to concede a first innings lead of two runs to the three-time defending champions.
 

The 29-year-old fast bowler grabbed the last four Barbados wickets, which fell for 15 runs in the space of 23 balls, formalising the lead, when he trapped Tino Best lbw for one.

 
Samuels then stroked an unbeaten 58 to lead the Jamaicans to 114 for two at the close for an overall lead of 116 in the third round match at Kensington Oval.
 

The batting stylist has so far struck seven fours and one six from 118 balls in just under 2 ½ hours of batting, and  dominated a second wicket stand of 69 with Simon Jackson, after Danza Hyatt was caught at gully off Fidel Edwards for 16.
 

In one over from Best, Samuels struck a pair of boundaries, a flick through square leg, and a steer to third man, and in the following over, he tore into Jason Holder, whose five wickets undermined Jamaica in the first innings.
 

Samuels struck three fours off Holder – all imperious strokes – through the off-side, much to the delight of the small crowd.

He reached his 50 from 101 balls with a single to deep cover off Barbados captain Ryan Hinds, whose uncomplicated left-arm spin, he had earlier driven handsomely, inside-out over cover for his only six.
 

Jackson however, failed to get the better of Hinds, and was caught at silly point in the final half-hour to spoil the day for the visitors.
 

Earlier, the Jamaican bowlers made the Barbadians work for every run, after the home team started the day from their overnight total of 220 for four.
 

Andrew Richardson gave the visitors early success, when Kevin Stoute played back and across a well-pitched delivery, and was bowled for 39 in the third over of the morning period.
 

But the Jamaicans were made to endure a wicket-less for almost two hours either side of lunch, which arrived with Barbados on 277 for five.
 

The Jamaicans were defied by a 50-run stand for the sixth wicket between Barbados newcomer Roston Chase and schoolmate Jason Holder.
 

Jamaica had to turn to an unlikely source for the breakthrough. Brendan Nash was felled by a bouncer from Best, the Barbadian fast bowler, in the visitors first innings, which required him to receive seven stitches in his right ear.
 

Nash has still not fully recovered from the blow, but he obliged Tamar Lambert, and plied his a modest brand of left-arm spin, which Holder tried to murder, and was caught at deep mid-on for 41 to leave Barbados 38 adrift of the lead.
 

Lambert summoned Taylor for another spell from the Joel Garner (northern) end, and the West Indies fast bowler cut through the Barbados tail with precision, after Chase and recent West Indies High Performance Centre captain Shamarh Brooks limped Barbados over the 300-run threshold.

 
He bowled Chase leg-stump for 31 and Brooks off the inside-edge for 21, had Edwards dubiously caught behind for a first-ball duck before claiming Best to give Jamaica a narrow edge.
 

Since the turn of the century, the two sides have contested 16 matches. They each have won seven, with the other two ending in draws, either side gaining first innings points in those.

JAMAICA 324 Barbados 322 Jamaica 114 for 2-  lead by 116 runs