WICB women’s limited overs final…

Well done skipper!!! Trinidad and Tobago’s captain Merissa Aguillera receives the championship trophy from president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Chetram Singh, following her team’s four wicket victory over defending champions Jamaica at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground yesterday. Player of the match Trinidad and Tobago’s Whitney Cudjoe displays her trophy. (Sonell Nelson photos).

A disciplined bowling display from the Mohammed twins, backed by a calm and level headed batting display from Whitney Cudjoe, ensured Trinidad and Tobago dethrone Jamaica at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground yesterday to lift the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional women’s limited overs title.

Jamaica won the toss and opting to take first strike, found the going tough against spin twins Alisa (3-20) and Anisa Mohammed (3-26), before they were bowled out for 116 in the 46th over, to which the newly crowned champions replied with 117-6 from 40.2 overs, to complete a four wicket win thanks largely to Cudjoe’s unbeaten 54.

After seeing her opening bowlers Kirbyina Alexander (0-12) and Britney Cooper (1-22) keep a tight lid on the Jamaican batting in the first 15 overs in which they scored 40 for the loss of Herma Nathan-Dawes (10), skipper Merissa Aguillera introduced her spin twins who did not disappoint her.

Chedean Nation (06) added 25 for the second wicket with Jodian Morgan who had struck Cooper and Alexander for boundaries through the point region in her 20, before Cooper took and easy catch offered by Nation off Alisa Mohammed.

The spin pair continued their destruction of the defending champions’ middle order batting lineup, removing Morgan, Shanel Daly (09) and Abbie Gaye-Hendricks (11) which left them precariously placed on 76-5 in the 35th over of their innings.

Chenille Henry who was left unbeaten on 16 and the burly Tameka Sanford (05) added 12 for the sixth wicket before both Sanford and Vanessa Watts (00) were removed by Anisa Mohammed off successive deliveries.

Henry and Karla Cohen (16) then added 26 for their eighth wicket partnership, with Cohen hitting Gaitri Seetahal and Anisa Mohammed to the point boundaries, realising her team’s 100 with the second one in the 40th over.

PLAYER of the match Trinidad and Tobago’s Whitney Cudjoe her tropy

But that was the last hurrah for Jamaica, as Seetahal removed Cohen thanks to a simple catch taken at extra cover by Alexander, whilst Amanda Samaroo wrapped things up with the wickets of Roshana Outar and Peta Gaye Hanson who both failed to trouble the scorers in the 46th over.

Samaroo (2-2), Seetahal (1-18) and Cooper with 1-22 offered worthy support to the Mohammed twins for T&T, who found themselves in a spot of bother on 63-6 in the 16th over of their reply, including the prized wicket of Samaroo who was run out for (13).

Things started badly for T&T, who lost Devika Singh (00) and Alisa Mohammed (05) within the first four overs and when Britney Cooper (05) and Samaroo were dismissed, they found themselves in trouble at 28-4 after eight overs.

Things did not improve for T&T when Stacy Ann King (05) and Aguillera (00) were dismissed, which left them staring down the barrel of defeat on 63-6 in the 16th over while at the same time, placing Jamaica in a position to make a clean sweep of all regional cricket competitions played so far for the year, at all levels, whether male or female.

But Cudjoe, who entered the scene at Samaroo’s dismissal, and Anisa Mohammed had other ideas in mind as they staged Operation Recovery for their team with a level headed approach that netted them 55 valuable runs for the seventh wicket.

Cudjoe fought fire with fire, when she steered Hanson through point, followed by a tickle off her legs which sped through backward square leg for boundaries.

A straight hit back over the head of Watts indicated her intention to put up a fight for her team and she did not hesitate to show her driving skills, when she drove Hendricks through mid on with disdain, followed by a push through backward square leg off the same bowler to raise her team’s 100 in the 34th over.

Cudjoe who was later adjudged the player of the match, duly reached a well deserved half- century, when she struck Watts for her ninth four from the 68th delivery she faced, exquisitely through extra cover, before she had the distinct opportunity of hitting the winning run through midwicket to spark off celebrations on the field amongst her teammates, with Anisa Mohammed unbeaten at the other end on 14.

Watts (2-20) and Daly who offered her support with the ball by claiming 2-34 tried desperately to bowl their team to a well deserved victory, but such was not to be as Cudjoe singlehandedly guided T&T to the title with a four wicket victory.

At the simple presentation ceremony that followed, prizes were distributed to Pamela Lavine (most runs), Anisa Mohammed and Danielle Small (most catches), Aguillera (most dismissals by a wicketkeeper), Anisa Mohammed (most wickets) and Cooper most valuable player.