Prior shines as England battle

Wicketkeeper Prior passed 50 for the seventh time in 13 Test appearances to counteract the loss of Andrew Flintoff early on the second morning.

Flintoff failed to add to his overnight score of 43 but Prior struck 64 as the tourists took lunch on 311 for eight.

Having been beaten by a beauty from fast bowler Daren Powell two balls earlier, all-rounder Flintoff guided a long hop straight to point to give West Indies a breakthrough in just the third over of the morning.

Stuart Broad also departed to the second new ball, taken in the second over of the day, when he sliced a drive at Jerome Taylor straight to gully.

But Prior's quality at number seven once again came to England's aid as a number of impressive boundaries took him to a half-century from 84 balls.

Prior was just into his stride, in fact, easing an on-drive for four off Powell and following up in the next over by guiding Fidel Edwards' first delivery of the day behind square for another boundary, when he was dismissed.

He drive at Sulieman Benn, the hosts' outstanding bowler, proved too close to the giant left-arm spinner, who snaffled the catch moving to his left.

But tailenders Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison guided their side from a position of 288 for eight to their lunchtime position thanks to a bodged attempt by Shivnarine Chanderpaul when the pair had not begun their ninth-wicket account.

Sidebottom skied an attempted pull off Edwards to mid-off but Chanderpaul fluffed it and gestured to his colleagues that he had lost sight of the ball in the sun.