NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – Hampshire stunned last year’s losing finalists Barbados in a dramatic one-over eliminator to win their first match of the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship here last evening.
In a contest where the pendulum swung this way and that, Hampshire managed to hold their nerve in the heart wrenching last over, to eke out the run they needed after scores were tied at the end of regulation play at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
Winning the toss and batting, the English County rattled up 136 for three off their allotted 20 overs with captain Jimmy Adams top-scoring with 39, Johann Myburgh hitting 37 and Sean Ervine stroking an unbeaten 32.
Barbados stuttered and stumbled but opener Dwayne Smith struck an even 50 to put them on course for victory, before they lost two wickets in the final over – including one off the last ball of the innings – to plummet to 136 all out.
In the Super Over, Smith holed out to deep square leg off the second ball before Carlo Morris squirted the next delivery to cover, to leave Barbados without a run and Hampshire needing only one to win.
Dramatically, Ervine then attempted to reverse sweep the first delivery from left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn and was bowled, tilting the balance back Barbados’ way.
Benn then kept James Vince scoreless for two deliveries, increasing the tension, before the 19-year-old finally pierced the off-side for the single needed to hand Hampshire the win that kept them alive in the tournament after their opening loss to Canada.
Earlier, Hampshire were solid without being spectacular, as Adams and Myburgh added 85 from 80 balls for the first wicket. Adams struck three fours and one six in a knock that needed 47 balls while Myburgh’s 37 was a run-a-ball and contained three fours.
Barbados made a double breakthrough to haul themselves back into the game as Myburgh picked out Kirk Edwards on the mid-wicket boundary in the 14th over and four balls later, Adams top-edged a sweep from left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds (2-21) to short fine leg.
Ervine, however, provided the momentum as he smashed two fours and two sixes off just 19 balls to give Hampshire quick runs at the end.
Barbados started badly, losing Edwards without scoring to the third ball of the innings with the score on one, and Jonathan Carter followed soon after for six, caught at the wicket off Simon Jones who finished with four for 10 from his four overs.
Smith, who hammered two fours and four sixes off 37 balls, put on 42 from 44 balls for the third wicket with the in form Alcindo Holder who scored a run-a-ball 24 with two fours and a six.
When Holder was run out and Benn was caught in the deep for six, Barbados slipped to 71 for four in the 13th over but Smith and Morris (17) added 32 to put them back on course.
The partnership ended when Smith was bowled playing a characteristically injudicious stroke and Barbados lost three wickets for two runs in the space of five balls, to slump to 105 for seven in the 17th over.
Barbados required nine from the last over with two wickets remaining and when Ashley Nurse dispatched the first ball from Jones over square leg for six, the game seemed theirs for the taking.
But Morris, who struck one six off 12 balls, was caught in the deep off the third delivery and Nurse scrambled a leg bye off the fifth ball to tie the scores before Tino Best slashed a full toss to Myburgh at point.
Scoreboard
Hampshire
*J Adams c Carter b Hinds 39
J Myburgh c Edwards b Hinds 37
J Vince c Carter b Benn 6
S Ervine not out 32
L Dawson not out 4
Extras (b4, lb11, w1, nb2) 18
Total (3 wkts, 20 overs) 136
Fall of wickets: 1-85 (Myburgh, 13.2 overs), 2-89 (Adams, 14), 3-116 (Vince, 18.2)
Bowling: Benn 3-0-16-1, Best 3-1-7-0, Scantlebury-Searles 2-0-22-0, Hinds 4-0-21-2, Brathwaite 4-0-19-0, Nurse 3-0-24-0, Smith 1-0-12-0.
Barbados
D Smith b Riazuddin 50
K Edwards c Dawson b Jones 0
J Carter c wkp Bates b Jones 6
A Holder run out 24
S Benn c Ervine b Briggs 6
J Scantlebury-Searles c Wood b Riazuddin 8
+C Morris c Dawson b Jones 17
*R Hinds b Wood 0
C Brathwaite b Wood 6
A Nurse not out 7
T Best c Myburgh b Jones 0
Extras (b2, lb5, w5) 12
TOTAL (all out, 20 overs) 136
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Edwards, 0.3 overs), 2-16 (Carter, 4.3), 3-58 (Holder, 11.5), 4-71 (Benn, 12.5), 5-103 (Smith, 15.2), 6-104 (Scantlebury-Searles, 16), 7-105 (Hinds, 16.1), 8-119 (Brathwaite, 18.3), 9-135 (Morris, 19.3), 10-136 (Best, 20)
Bowling: Jones 4-1-10-4, Briggs 4-0-28-1, Riazuddin 4-0-17-2, Wood 4-0-33-2, Myburgh 3-0-20-0, Ervine 1-0-21-0.
Result: Hampshire won via one-over eliminator.
Points: Hampshire 4, Barbados 0