Wanstead CC face the camera in Jamaica with former Test umpire Steve Bucknor

Tour diary, part two

Wanstead & Snaresbrook Cricket Club slipped to a four-wicket defeat against Lucas, former club of West Indies all-rounder Chris Gayle, in the latest match of their Caribbean tour.

The Lucas CC ground is less than 100 yards from where Gayle and four of his brothers grew up in an area described as “a run-down neighbourhood” by captain Wayne Gayle, who won the toss and put Wanstead into bat.

The Herons lost Arfan Akram, caught at gully without scoring, before Stephen Ramdial smashed a stunning six.

Ramdial fell soon after, edging a rising ball to gully, but Joe Palmer Jnr and Joe Coffey steadied the ship to take the Wanstead score to 50-3.

Adnan Akram joined Coffey in an intelligent stand, producing some lovely stroke play, before Coffey eventually fell for a well made 33.

Akram and Matt Smith gave the innings a positive end, running hard between the wickets to put pressure on the fielders and producing some late cuts and reverse sweeps.

Smith was eventually run out for 38, but Akram finished unbeaten on 70 as Jay Williams helped lift the total to 197-6.

Zain Shahzad and Dev Patel shared the new ball in the Lucas reply, but saw Palmer put down a chance at slip in the first over.

Patel struck at the other end, thanks to a brilliant catch by Shahzad at mid-off, before spinners Fayyaz Khan and Joe Ellis-Grewal came into the attack.

Both had an immediate impact, taking a wicket apiece, but an aggressive knock from Geoffrey Laing took the match away from Wanstead.

Laing hit 50 from 30 balls, including 17 off four deliveries from captain Arfan Akram’s spin bowling, to see the hosts to their target but Akram said: “Special mention to all the members at Lucas for amazing hospitality and playing the game in the right spirit.”

The touring Wanstead party were due to visit the Bob Marley Museum yesterday followed by an afternoon match against Tower Street Prison against inmates from one of the most dangerous and highly-secure prisons.

The match will have excess off 1,000 prisoners watching, eight sniper men patrolling the grounds to ensure safety and will also be videoed by one of the Caribbean Television channels as part of a documentary.

The match is part of the Courtney Walsh Foundation’s “Young Offenders Project” and Wanstead players and coaches will get the opportunities to talk to the prisoners and help with their rehab.