KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Former Windward Islands batsman Donwell Hector saved his best innings for last, as he helped Salt Pond Breakers beat La Soufriere Hikers by 19 runs and lift the inaugural T10 Vincy Premier League title here yesterday.
Until yesterday’s final, the 31-year-old Hector had managed just 28 runs from seven innings, with a highest score of 10. In Saturday’s semi-final, he suffered the ignominy of being run out before he had faced a single ball.
However, the experienced right-hander put his woes behind him to top score with a crucial 28 off 17 balls as Breakers, sent in at Arnos Vale Stadium, rallied to 100 for six off their allotted 10 overs.
Breakers lost Test batsman and leading scorer Sunil Ambris cheaply for 15 to find themselves struggling at 30 for three at the end of the fourth over but Hector arrived to put on 35 for the fourth wicket with Urnel Thomas (13) to rescue the innings.
Hector, who played the last of his 26 first class matches three years ago, struck one four and a pair of sixes before perishing at the start of the final over.
In reply, Hikers slumped to 42 for seven at the start of the seventh over with Windward Islands Volcanoes batsman Dillon Douglas and Desron Maloney both perishing cheaply for five.
Breakers fielded brilliantly to effect four run outs in the innings, leaving Hikers to limp to 81 for nine off their 10 overs.
Botanical Gardens Rangers’ Hyron Shallow, who played 13 first class matches for Windwards between 2005 and 2008, was the tournament’s leading scorer with 285 runs.
Ambris, poised to tour England with West Indies in July, made 274 runs at an average of 39 and snared 10 wickets with his off-spin.
The tournament, the first competitive cricket staged in the Caribbean since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was played behind closed doors with strict social distancing measures and sanitary protocols enforced.
