CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Last man Obed McCoy smashed a six off the last ball of the match as Windward Islands Volcanoes snatched a dramatic one-wicket win over Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners in a low-scoring encounter here yesterday.
Chasing a hardly intimidating 173 for victory in their Group A fixture of the Regional Super50, Volcanoes tumbled from 105 for two in the 29th over to 153 for nine at the end of the 46th over, after losing seven wickets for 48 runs.
But number 10 Larry Edward, who finished on 21 not out, and McCoy, unbeaten on 14, produced a valiant, unbroken last-wicket stand of 24, to push the contest into the last over at 3Ws Oval.
Entering the final over requiring 10 for victory, the odds still rested with the home side but the pair played sensibly to deny them honours.
McCoy slammed the first delivery from off-spinner Vikash Mohan to the cover boundary, failed to score off the second before lofting to wide long on for a single.
With five runs needed from the remaining three balls, Edward scrambled a couple to cover and then scampered a single to backward square, leaving Volcanoes to get two off the final ball.
Displaying little nerves, the left-handed McCoy promptly deposited Mohan over the ropes on the leg side, to spark celebration among the visitors.
Left-handed opener Devon Smith had earlier top-scored with 40 while Kirk Edwards chipped in with 30, to give Volcanoes a strong start to their run chase.
Left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds had Johnson Charles stumped for 14 at 19 for one in the fifth over but Smith added 33 for the second wicket with Andre Fletcher (20) before putting on a further 53 for the third with Edwards.
Smith faced 65 balls and struck three fours while Edwards counted a four and a six in a 46-ball knock.
Left-arm spinner Yannick Ottley claimd three for 21 while off-spinner Jameel Stuart ended with two for 28.
Sent in earlier, Marooners needed Mohan’s top score of 36 and Keron Cottoy’s 21 to get up to their eventual 172 all out off 50 overs, as left-arm spinner Kavem Hodge (3-26) and veteran off-spinner Shane Shillingford (3-19) ripped apart the innings.
They were quickly in trouble at 39 for four in the 18th over after Hodge, handed the new ball, snatched three early wickets and it was left to Mohan and Hinds (15) to repair some of the damage in a 35-run, fifth wicket stand.
When three wickets fell for 22 runs, Cottoy joined with wicketkeeper Carlos Maynard (18) to post an invaluable 47 for the eighth wicket, and allow Marooners breathing space.
