Trinidad and Tobago are facing an uphill battle to get into the four-day final, with three-time defending champions Jamaica all but assured of a spot opposite the Combine Campuses and Colleges.

Jamaica continued to assert their will on the hosts on the third day of their Regional Four-day Semi-final, at Sir Frank Worrell Ground, University of the West Indies, St Augustine, yesterday, as they left T&T with an almost impossible task of chasing 665 for a first innings lead and a place in the final.

Until yesterday, there was some uncertainty about which team would go through to the final if the match ended in a no result today, that is if T&T do not lose ten first innings wickets, but T&T manager Omar Khan confirmed last night that Jamaica will qualify if the match ends that way, because of Jamaica's first innings win over T&T in the league stage of the tournament.

The visitors were dismissed for 664 shortly after lunch and had Daren Ganga's men struggling at 198 for four at the close, still 466 behind, but they will be encouraged by a half century from skipper Ganga who finished on 69, and a stroke filled unbeaten 49 from wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.

With a mountain to climb, Jason Dawes forced T&T onto the back foot as opener Lendl Simmons played on to his stumps for five while Darren Bravo departed without scoring, caught by Simon Jackson at second slip off the same bowler.

Imran Khan looked good. He spanked Russell through the covers for four before edging one over the slip cordon for the same result, but his innings was short-lived as he was sent back, lbw, by umpire Gregory Braithwaite for 17. But an 83-run stand between the skipper and his younger brother Sherwin Ganga kept T&T afloat.

The pair played positive cricket, finding the boundary ropes regularly before the tea break. Sherwin was on the attack as he drove Dawes down the ground for four and followed up with a cover drive for the same result to bring up T&T's 50 off 71 balls.

Daren got in on the action, spanking Danza Hyatt's first ball for a straight four before hitting Bernard Jr down the ground for four more to take T&T to triple figures off 25.3 overs.

Sherwin punished Odean Brown, pulling through midwicket for four, but his best shot of the day came off Russell who was driven to the extra cover fence for another boundary. The West Indies pacer, however, got the last laugh. The T&T all-rounder tried the same thing off the next delivery and was easily caught by wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton for 42.

That brought Ramdin to the wicket, and he batted through injury with his skipper to ensure T&T closed the day without further damage.

Earlier, Jamaica, resuming on 574 for seven with Hinds on 131 and Russell on one, started the third day 17 minutes late, but the visitors still found themselves in a dominant position, adding 90 runs before being knocked over after batting 201.4 overs.

Russell looked like a middle-order batsman when he hit Amit Jaggernauth over midwicket for his first six as Jamaica stepped on the gas early on.

Hinds then drove Ravi Rampaul through the covers for four, before being tested by two well-placed yorkers from Shannon Gabriel.

Gabriel was aggressive, bowling to Russell, who was floored by a beamer from the tall pacer before being bowled by Rampaul for 27. Jamaica, 639 for eight.

Hinds made his way back to the pavilion on the same score when he skied a Gabriel delivery to Daren Ganga at deep mid off for 165.

T&T needed one more wicket before they could get a chance to beat the leather ball. But Brown and Dawes frustrated the hosts until after lunch.

T&T will have to frustrate Jamaica in the field today if they are to get anywhere near the visitors' total, but with hard-hitting Kieron Pollard still in the pavilion, the local spectators may have some exciting cricket to look forward to on the fourth and final day.