Trinidad and Tobago humiliated Barbados by seven wickets at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence last night to claim the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) 2008 President’s Cup limited overs championship.
After bowling their opponents out for a paltry 142 from 45.5 overs, the twin island republic team then raced to (143-3) from (27) overs to complete an easy victory.
The win earned them the President’s Cup trophy and US$10,000 first prize.
Barbados, who won the toss and opted to take first strike were off to a disastrous start losing opener Dale Richards for eight in the second over caught by wicket-keeper William Perkins off Reyad Emrit.
Emrit struck in his next over when he had the in-form Ryan Hinds caught by Sherwin Ganga at midwicket for a duck as he attempted to pull a short delivery.
At 10-2 in the fourth over, Kevin Stoute (14) joined his captain and Empire Cricket Club team-mate Jason Haynes (18) and together they tried to repair the early damage.
They took the score to 41 before Stoute was adjudged lbw to Samuel Badree in the 12th over.
Dwayne Smith has been the batsman of the tournament and when he pulled a Ravi Rampaul free hit delivery over midwicket for six and followed that up with a tickle to fine leg and an exquisite drive off the front foot that sped through the covers for four, the fair sized crowd’s appetite was whetted.
Smith and Haynes carried the score to 77-3 before they were both separated in the space of seven balls.
Smith top edged a sweep from Badree to Kieron Pollard who was stationed at backward square leg whilst Haynes was caught by Pollard at point off Sherwin Ganga.
Kenroy Williams (05) and Jonathan Carter (36) carried the score to 106-5 in the 33rd over before injudicious shot selection caused Williams’s downfall.
Carter, who struck Sherwin Ganga all along the ground for four, found a useful ally in Patrick Browne (16) and they took the score to 138 in the 44th over.
Carter was eventually caught by Darren Bravo off Badree for the top score of 36 made from 62 deliveries with three fours.
It was downhill after that for the team from the Island of the Flying Fish.
Browne was lbw to Emrit, Tino Best (01) was run out by Badree and Pedro Collins (01) was stumped by Lendl Simmons off Sherwin Ganga as Barbados lost their last seven wickets for 101 runs from 34.1 overs.
Corey Collymore was left unbeaten on nought.
Badree (3-14), Emrit (3-36) and Sherwin Ganga 2-18 were the principal wicket takers for Trinidad and Tobago whose innings was off to a flyer thanks to Adrian Barath (31) and Perkins (01) who added 31 for the first wicket.
After Barath was caught and bowled by a slower delivery from Smith for 31, Darren Bravo and skipper Daren Ganga added 32 runs for the third wicket before Bravo was run out by Smith for 20 after being sent back by Daren Ganga, who had steered a delivery from Hinds to point.
Daren Ganga and Simmons then took their team to victory with an unfinished fourth wicket stand of 60.
Simmons struck Best over long off and through the covers for successive boundaries and the batting power play, taken at the start of the 25th over, saw Simmons striking Smith for four, whilst Daren Daren Ganga followed suit with a boundary of his own as Trinidad inched closer to 133-3.
Ganga struck Williams over mid off for four to level the scores and it was all over bar the shouting, when Smith bowled a wide delivery to Simmons from the first ball of the 28th over, to seal a comfortable seven wicket victory for Trinidad and Tobago.
Collins, who was later named as the bowler with the most wickets, ended with 1-24 from four overs whilst his teammate Smith who also carted off the most runs award, took 1-33 for Barbados.
