PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A spectacular Derone Davis hat-trick triggered yet another humiliating Barbados batting meltdown as Combined Campuses and Colleges hauled themselves off the bottom of the Caribbean Twenty20 standings with a sensational win here Friday night.
In an extraordinary start to Barbados’ pursuit of a measly 112 for victory, the left-arm spinner claimed his victims off the first three balls of the innings to leave Barbados in disarray and set up a 12-run victory at Queen’s Park Oval.
The 20-year-old finished with remarkable figures of four wickets for five runs from four overs in a Man-of-the-Match display as Barbados failed to recover from a terminal position of 12 for five and meandered to 99 for nine from their 20 overs in the end.
Kyle Mayers resisted with 34 and Ashley Nurse chipped in with an unbeaten 21 down the order to give Barbados a glimmer of hope but the early damage proved too much to overcome.
CCC owed the world of debt to veteran campaigner Floyd Reifer who had earlier top scored with 37 to help push the students to 111 for eight after they opted to bat first.
They were floundering at 25 for four in the eighth over following a lethal opening burst from pacer Tino Best (4-18) until Reifer arrived to take control of matters and steer them past the 100-run mark.
The result condemned Barbados to a second straight loss following their demise at the hands of Guyana on Thursday night, when they also collapsed while chasing a paltry total.
In contrast, the victory was a welcome boost for a CCC team that has lost its previous three matches, and gave them some momentum heading into the final preliminary round contests in St Lucia next week.
What unfolded could hardly have been envisioned, when Best scythed through the top order knocking over Raymon Reifer (0), Chadwick Walton (6) and Wayne Morgan (0) with just 13 runs on the board in the third over.
Further crisis ensued when captain Kyle Corbin was brilliantly taken at midwicket by Ryan Hinds off seamer Carlos Brathwaite at 25 for four in the eighth over, and when Jason Holder (2) and Akeem Dewar (14) fell to Nurse’s off-spin in successive overs, the CCC were tottering on 57 for six in the 13th over and in need of several minor miracles.
Reifer combined with Ryan Wiggins to provide the first, in a crucial 38-run, eighth wicket stand which handed CCC a precious lifeline.
The left-handed Reifer faced 35 balls and struck a four and two sixes while Ryan Wiggins weighed in with a valuable 28 off 23 balls with an identical boundary count.
Though Reifer was bowled by left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn in the penultimate over, Wiggins stayed until the end, perishing off the last delivery of the innings, lbw to Best.
Davis then provided CCC’s second miracle in the form of a hat-trick. Captain Dwayne Smith slashed at the first ball of the innings and was taken on the second attempt by Corbin at slip and the left-handed Hinds edged the very next delivery for Corbin to take a catch low to his left.
Shamarh provided Davis with his hat-trick, struck plumb in front as he pushed forward defensively. Davis was not finished, however, has he had Jonathan Carter caught by Wiggins running around to point as the left-hander hit out.
After soaking up 12 deliveries and scoring only four, opener Justin Brathwaite swung wildly at seamer Holder but only succeeded in nicking a catch behind, to leave Barbados on 12 for five in the sixth over.
Mayers and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich (13) combined in a 39-run, sixth wicket stand to stem the fall of wickets. The left-handed Mayers faced 35 balls and hit two fours and two sixes while Dowrich played the supporting role in 32 balls at the crease.
They were rebuilding patiently when disaster struck, with Dowrich run out after Mayers left him stranded in a mix-up over a short single.
Carlos Brathwaite (6) stayed around long enough to help Mayers add 15 runs for the next wicket before both batsmen lost the plot.
Inexplicably, Brathwaite lofted left-arm spinner Kristopher Ramsaran to long on and Mayers followed off the next ball, finding Davis at long-off as he unsuccessfully tried to clear the ropes.
Nurse and Benn (10) staged Barbados’ last desperate stand, adding 25 off 18 balls but CCC remained focussed in the late stages to see the victory through.
