KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Gail Seetahal helped Trinidad & Tobago clinch a nailbiting, one-wicket victory, ending Jamaica’s unbeaten streak in the Regional Women’s Twenty20 Tournament yesterday here.
Veteran Pamela Lavine stroked an unbeaten half-century and shared a half-century, unbroken stand with Kyshonna Knight to keep Barbados in the hunt with a confident eight-wicket victory over Guyana in the fourth round of matches.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines captain Cordel Jack played a key role with both bat and ball, helping her side to topple St. Lucia by 52 runs, and Grenada captain Afy Fletcher too, came up trumps with the ball, paving the way for the Spice Girls to claim a five-wicket victory over Dominica.
The results meant that the Jamaicans, Barbadians, T&T and the Vincentians all have 15 points, with Guyana and Grenada next in line on 10 points each, ahead of the winless Dominicans.
Seetahal became her side’s hero, when she struck the last ball of the match – from Vanessa Watts – past point for a single, as T&T successfully chased 97 for victory in the afternoon match at Chedwin Park just outside the Jamaica capital.
T&T suffered an unfamiliar batting meltdown and only Deandra Dottin with the top score of 25 reached double figures, as Karla Cohen claimed 3-26 from four overs and Chadean Nation bagged 2-14 from her four overs to put the visitors batting under pressure.
Sent in to bat, Jamaica’s batting failed miserably after World No.1 Stafanie Taylor made 29 and fellow opener Natasha McLean top-scored with 30 in an opening stand of 64.
After Taylor fell to Lee Ann Kirby in the 12th over, the Jamaican batting lost momentum and they were restricted to 96 for seven from their 20 overs.
In the morning match at the same venue, Lavine struck 10 fours in an unbeaten 64 from 44 balls and Knight made 22 from 31 balls, as Barbados hit the jackpot with 36 balls remaining.
Lavine and Knight put on 81 – unbroken – for the third wicket, after the Barbadians ran into early trouble on 14 for two.
Two wickets apiece for Danielle Small and Shaquana Quintyne had helped Barbados restrict Guyana to 94 for five from their 20 overs, after being put in to bat.
West Indies Women’s pair of Shemaine Campbelle, top-scorer with 29 not out, and Tremayne Smartt, with 24, propped up the Guyanese batting.
Jack, a West Indies Women’s player, was also the rock upon which her side reached 114 off 19.5 overs, after choosing to bat at Kensington Park in the capital.
She struck five fours in 43 from 38 balls and defied a bout of cramp midway through her innings to put her side on course for their third straight victory.
No other SVG batter passed 20, as Brendalin Alcide grabbed 3-18 from 2.5 overs in the closing stages of the innings to undermine the late charge.
Jack returned to bowl a miserly spell of 3-0-4-0, setting the tone for the remainder of her side’s bowlers, as St. Lucia were bowled for 62 in 19.2 overs.
Stacy Ann Adams ended with 2-12 from three overs, Roshelle John finished with 2-14 from her four overs, and Latoya Providence 2-16 from three overs to formalise the victory.
In the afternoon match, Fletcher scalped 4-10 from her four overs, as Dominica were restricted to 76 for nine from their 20 overs in the low-scoring affair.
Akeira Peters and Debbie Ann Lewis snared two wickets apiece to add to the mayhem, as no Dominican batter could do better than Junicar Valentine’s 18.
The Grenadians batted steadily, if not spectacularly to reach their target, but four wickets – two to Pearl Etienne – for 17 runs in the space of 21 balls caused a few jitters, as the chased came near to the end.
Today will be a rest day in the tournament before matches resume tomorrow when St. Lucia face T&T in the morning at Kensington Park, where SVG will also meet Jamaica, while Grenada play Barbados in the morning at Chedwin Park before Dominica tackles Guyana at the same venue.
