Regional T20 cricket …
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Sensational, exciting, and thrilling are just some of the adjectives that could be used to describe Barbados’ victory over the Combined Campuses & Colleges in a one-over eliminator in the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship just past Friday midnight. Before a crowd of over 2 000, the Barbadians outlasted the tenacious CCC, a virtual Barbados reserve side, after the fourth match of the competition ended in a tie inside regulation time.
Barbados, choosing to bat on a hard, true Kensington Oval pitch, reached 180 for six from their allocation of 20 overs, and the CCC responded with 180 for five from their 20 overs.
The two sides then contested the one-over eliminator. Under the regulations, CCC, batting first, reached 16 without loss, and enhanced their chances of victory, when Dale Richards skied Gilford Moore to long-on for a first-ball duck, as Barbados started their pursuit.
The match came down to Barbados needing six from the last ball to tie the eliminator, and Dwayne Smith walked inside the line of a short delivery from Moore, and swung it to deep backward square leg.
Romel Currency, precisely positioned on the edge of the boundary, caught the ball – only to have the fairy-tale for the CCC end – when he allowed the momentum of taking the catch to carry him over the boundary rope to hand Barbados a hard-fought victory by virtue of striking more sixes in the match: 10-8.
Inside regulation time, Kirk Edwards struck four fours and two sixes in 45 from 36 balls to lead the Barbadian batting, but it took Carlo Morris 42 not out from 21 balls, which included two fours and three sixes, to give them a late boost.
Edwards added 54 for the second wicket with Jonathan Carter, and Morris dominated an unbroken stand of 49 with Barbados captain Ryan Hinds, after rain had forced a 45-minute interruption.
Ryan Austin was the most successful CCC bowler with two wickets for 31 runs from his allotment of four overs.
Mile Bascombe then struck five fours and three sixes in the top score of 48 from 29 balls for the CCC, and Currency stroked 34, and put on the back-foot in an opening stand of 80.
But Ryan Wiggins smote four sixes in 39 not out that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, and Floyd Reifer gathered 26 not out in an unbroken stand of 60 for the sixth wicket to give the CCC the tie, after they had wobbled to 87 for three, and then stumbled to 120 for five.
Lanky West Indies left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn again proved his value in this format of the game. His first three overs were rather expensive, but he tightened-up to bowl miserly in the crucial final over, when the CCC needed nine to win.
Senior regional newcomer Ashley Nurse ended with two for 19 from four overs, and Hinds finished with two for 24 from four overs.
Barbados face Windward Islands in their second match today from 20:00 h – four hours after CCC meet Guyana.
BARBADOS (20 overs maximum)
D. Richards c Moore b Kantasingh    20
K. Edwards c Currency b Wiggins    45
J. Carter c Parris b Austin    19
A. Holder c wkpr Walton b Moore    13
D.R. Smith c Austin b Parris    12
C. Morris not out    42
A. Nurse c Phillips b Austin    4
R. Hinds not out    4
Extras: (lb-5, w-8)    13
Total: (6 wkts, 20 overs)    180
Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-77, 3-94, 4-117, 5-122, 6-131.
Bowling: Austin 4-0-31-2 (w-1), Kantasingh 4-0-33-1 (w-1), Moore 4-0-37-1 (w-3), Parris 4-0-23-1, Yearwood 2-0-24-0 (w-1), Wiggins 2-0-27-1 (w-2).
COMBINED CAMPUSES & COLLEGES (target: 181 off 20 overs)
R. Currency c Carter b Nurse    34
M. Bascombe b Hinds    48
C. Walton c and b Nurse    0
B. Yearwood lbw b Hinds    2
N. Parris run-out (Stoute)    12
F. Reifer not out    26
R. Wiggins not out    39
Extras: (lb-2, lb-10, w-5, nb-2)    19
Total: (5 wkts, 20 overs)    180
Fall of wickets: 1-80, 2-81, 3-89, 4-109, 5-120.
Bowling: Roach 4-0-36-0, Benn 4-1-26-0 (nb-1, w-2), D.R. Smith 2-0-31-0 (w-2), Hinds 4-0-24-2, Nurse 4-0-19-2 (nb-1), Stoute 2-0-32-0 (w-1).
Points: Barbados 4, Combined Campuses & Colleges 0