BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados Pride warmed up for next week’s Regional Super50 semi-finals in Antigua by thumping Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners by 143 runs in their final Group B game here Saturday.
Coming off their only defeat of the tournament to Jamaica Scorpions last Thursday, Pride conjured up a dominant performance in posting 294 for eight off their 50 overs at Kensington Oval.
They were propelled by left-hander Jonathan Carter who top-scored with 79 while Shai Hope weighed in with 62 and opener Kraigg Brathwaite, 51.
In reply, Marooners were bowled out for 151 off 44.5 overs with captain Jamal Smith getting 42 and opener Amir Jangoo, 34.
The innings was crippled by the spin duo of Sulieman Benn (3-29) and Ashley Nurse (3-30), while captain and fast bowler Jason Holder picked up two for 20.
Pride finished top of Group B on 33 points, five clear of Scorpions who finished second to also advance to the semi-finals.
Marooners, meanwhile, completed a dismal campaign where they won just two games in their eight outings, to finish one from bottom in the five-team group.
Opting to bat first, Pride were given a solid, if not spectacular start by Brathwaite and Kevin Stoute who put on 74 for the first wicket.
Brathwaite faced 81 deliveries and counted four fours as he passed 400 runs for the preliminaries while Stoute struck 36 from 55 balls, also with four boundaries.
When Stoute was lbw to left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds (2-37) in the 17th over, Brathwaite added another 39 with Hope for the second wicket before also departing, top-edging a cut at Hinds to be caught at the wicket in the 29th over.
His departure, however, paved the way for an up tempo third wicket partnership of 119 off 84 balls between Hope and Carter.
The right-handed Hope rattled off his third consecutive half-century, smashing four fours and three sixes in a fluent 63-ball knock while the left-hander Carter blasted five fours and five sixes in a whirlwind 57-ball innings to reach 300 runs for the tournament.
Hope was in full flight when he edged a swing at seamer Nino Henry, who claimed three for 32, and was caught behind in the 42nd over and Carter followed when he holed out in the deep in the bowler’s next over.
Pride failed to find late momentum, however, and lost six wickets for 59 runs.
Marooners were in trouble as early as the fourth over when Vikash Mohan edged one from Holder to Benn at slip, to perish for four with eight runs on the board.
Cassius Burton (3) followed in the sixth over with the score on 14, mis-timing a drive back to Holder to leave them in further danger but Jangoo stalled Pride’s advance by anchoring two small partnerships.
The left-hander put on 28 for the third wicket with Hinds (16) before combining with Smith to post an important 54 for the fourth wicket.
Jangoo faced 67 balls and struck three fours while Smith consumed 63 deliveries and also registered three boundaries.
Marooners were rebuilding when Jangoo missed a heave at Nurse and was bowled in the 25th over and his dismissal opened the floodgates, as the last seven wickets fell for 55 runs.
