KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Stafanie Taylor underlined her supreme talent with another pivotal, all-round performance, guiding Jamaica to a 16-run victory over main rivals Trinidad & Tobago to win the Regional Women’s Twenty20 on Saturday here.
The World Player-of-the-Year nominee grabbed 4-9 from her allotted four overs and fellow West Indies Women’s player Shanel Daley grabbed 3-13 from 3.2 overs, as T&T failed to successfully chase 102 for victory in the Grand Final at Sabina Park.
No T&T batter reached 20, as Jamaica used their superior bowling strength to keep their opponents’ much-vaunted batting on a tight rein.
The result meant that Jamaica are the undisputed queens of the regional women’s game, following their victory in the Women’s Super50 Tournament last year in Barbados, where they also toppled T&T.
The triumph adds another brick to Jamaica’s fortress in the regional game, which also includes men’s Regional 4-Day and Super50 champions.
Taylor, the Jamaica captain, had paved the way for her side’s triumph with a well-composed, unbeaten 57 from 63 balls that included just five fours.
Stacy Ann King was T&T’s most successful bowler with 2-12 from three overs.
T&T’s hearts were in their mouths, when Taylor dropped Amanda Samaroo, the visitors’ leading batter in the tournament, at slip on zero in the first over.
Samaroo smashed two fours from the next over from Vanessa Watts, but the Jamaican off-spinner made the breakthrough with the final ball of the over, when King was caught at gully for one.
A brief stoppage for rain put T&T on ice and Samaroo fell from the first ball on resumption, when Watts got her revenge, having stumped for 15.
Britney Cooper joined fellow Windies Women’s player Deandra Dottin at the crease and they got T&T moving again, adding 30 for the third wicket.
But Taylor had Cooper caught at short third man for 18, sparking an inexplicable T&T batting collapse that saw them plunge from 54 for two to 57 for six in the space of 14 deliveries – and they never recovered.
Taylor and fellow opener Jodiann Morgan gave Jamaica their usual solid platform, putting on 47 for the first wicket.
Morgan made 22 before she was caught at mid-off from King’s left-arm medium-pace, but no other Jamaica batter reached double figures.
The home team relied almost solely on Taylor to drag them to a respectable total, with the star player reaching her 50 from 59 balls in the final over.
T&T had scraped a last-ball, one-wicket victory over the Jamaicans in the fourth round of matches in this tournament at Chedwin Park, but the hosts ensured there were no fairy-tale endings for their opponents this time.
Earlier, a tidy all-round effort from Pamela Lavine helped Barbados clinch third place with a seven-wicket win over Guyana.
Lavine led the way with 21 from 17 balls, as the Barbadians successfully chased 89 for victory in the Consolation Final at Sabina Park.
Barbados captain Shakera Selman fittingly formalised the result with 15 deliveries remaining, when she swept a delivery from Prudence Williams to fine leg for two.
Lavine had grabbed 3-13 from her allotment of four overs of medium-pace and leg-spinner Shaquana Quintyne captured 2-13 from her four overs, as Guyana, deciding to bat, were restricted to 88 for seven from their 20 overs.
Guyana captain June Ogle top-scored with 30, but no other Guyana player reached 20, as they stumbled after reaching 41 for one in the eighth over.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines captain Cordel Jack too, had a solid all-round effort, leading her side to fifth place with a 20-run victory over Grenada in the Consolation Playoff at Kensington Park a few kilometres.
Jack led the way with five fours in 49 not out from 44 balls in her side’s 116 for four off 20 overs, and took 2-20 from four overs, as Grenada replied with 96 for three in their turn at the crease.
Prior to this, St. Lucia had grabbed seventh place ahead of Dominica with a nine-run win in the Minor Playoff at the same ground.
St. Lucia posted 97 for seven from their 20 overs, despite Annica Benjamin taking 4-22, and Dominica were left to finish the tournament without a single win, when they could muster 88 for eight in response.
