The Combined Campuses and Colleges yesterday snatched a thrilling one run victory over the Windward Islands in a match that went all the way down to the wire.
Batting first the Combined Campuses and Colleges team scored 178-6 and in reply, the Windwards were dismissed for 177 with two balls remaining. The game had been reduced to 44 overs a side after early morning rain pushed back the scheduled start of play by 30 minutes.
When play did eventually get underway it was the Windwards, through opening bowler Nelon Pascal, who would take the early initiative.
Pascal rocked the CCC team’s top order removing Omar Phillips, Romel Currency and Simon Jackson to leave the CCC team stunned on 17-3.
But a 74-run fourth wicket stand between 22-year-old Nekoli Parris and 19-year-old Kjorn Ottley pulled the team back into the game.
Parris struck a six and a four in the top score of 40 before he was lbw to Shane Shillingford while Ottley struck three fours before he was lured out of his crease by veteran leg-spinner Rawl Lewis and smartly stumped by wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher.
At 103-5, the recovery had not been completed and when wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton was caught and bowled by a diving Shillingford inches from the ground, the Windwards were in the driver’s seat.
But West Indies skipper Floyd Reifer counter attacked for an unbeaten innings of 45 which included three fours and one six. Reifer found a useful ally in the 24-year-old left hander Kevin Mc Clean and the two featured in an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 71 runs which took the CCC team to its eventual total.
Mc Clean was unbeaten on 21 an innings which included two hefty fours.
Despite being struck a few lusty blows in his second spell, Pascal with 3-28, was still the pick of the bowlers while Shillingford lent him excellent support with 2-20.
Like the CCC tea, the Windwards too were off to a bad start losing the left-handed Devon Smith in the first over and fellow opener Miles Bascombe in the second.
Mc Lean, working at a good pace and getting the ball to lift found the edge of Smith’s bat and Walton took the offering with glee.
Reifer had done his homework and the surprising introduction of left arm spinner Kavesh Kantasingh reaped immediate dividends as Bascombe gave a return catch to the bowler with the score 2-2. Kantasingh then removed Donwell Hector to a catch by Omar Phillips at extra cover and the dangerous Fletcher in almost identical fashion to Bascombe’s dismissal to leave the Windwards wobbling on 41-4.
But Darren Sammy and Lewis halted the slide with a partnership of 44 before Lewis pulled Ryan Austin straight down the throat of Ottley on the deep midwicket boundary.
Sammy duly reached his half century but fell for 65 caught by Phillip off Currency.
Wickets continued to fall for the Windwards with the ninth wicket falling with three runs for victory and Shillingford on 21.
However attempting to get two to keep last man Pascal off the strike the batsmen hesitated before deciding to go for the second run and Shillingford was run out to the jubilation of the CCC team.
CCC skipper Reifer told Stabroek Sport that the game was exciting throughout but said at no stage did he think that his side was out of it.
“No, no all through the game we thought we would have won,” Reifer said.
He praised the batting of his opposite number Sammy and said his team was indebted to the two partnerships between Ottley and Parris and the one between himself and Mc Clean.
Sammy in an invited comment told Stabroek Sport that.. “The batters should have brought the game home for us.”
“I think we bowled well and I must compliment our bowler,” he said.
Sammy also sought to take the blame for the defeat squarely on his shoulders by admitting that he.. “played a poor shot.”
He noted that batting had been the team’s problem over the years and said steps must be taken to remedy the situation starting with today’s net session.
