BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Chesney Hughes gathered his first runs of the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship with an attacking half-century as Leeward Islands collected their first points of the tournament with a 19-run over Canada here yesterday. Dismissed without scoring in his first two innings before being dropped for the Leewards’ last outing, the 20-year-old left-hander rebounded with 50 from 39 balls, to get his side up to 161 for two off their allotted overs.
Canada then got a measured 55 from Hiral Patel but Canada were restricted to 142 for seven, to end their campaign on a losing note. Both teams finished on four points.
Hughes and Kieran Powell gave the Leewards a positive start, posting 44 from 40 balls for the first wicket as Canada struggled to get the early breakthrough.
While Hughes cracked two fours and four sixes, Powell slammed two fours and two sixes in carving out 31 from 25 balls.
Untroubled by a sedate Canadian attack, it required self-destruction on their part for the first wicket to fall. Powell took a single to long off and was then run-out attempting a second, after being sent back by Hughes in the seventh over.
Hughes then settled down to add 66 for the second wicket with Tonito Willett whose unbeaten 51 required 43 balls and comprised one four and two sixes.
When Hughes holed out in the deep off medium pacer Harvir Baidwan in the 14th over, Justin Athanaze blasted two sixes in scoring an unbeaten 24 from 16 balls, to keep runs flowing.
He added a breezy, unbroken 51 for the third wicket with Willett as Leewards finished strongly.
Canada then lost Nitish Kumar for three with the score on 10 in the second over, but Patel and Ruvindu Gunasekera (27) combined in a 79-run, second partnership to steady the innings.
However, the partnership was a slow one requiring 85 balls and it all but derailed Canada’s chances of scoring their second win.
Tyson Gordon struck a cameo, unbeaten 31 from 20 balls with two fours and two sixes, but the target was already out of sight.
LEEWARD ISLANDS innings
K. Powell run-out    31
C. Hughes c Patel b Baidwan    50
T. Willett not out    51
J. Athanaze not out    24
Extras: (b-1, w-1, nb-3)    5     
Total: (2 wkts, 20 overs)    161
Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-110.
Bowling: Khurram Chohan 4-0-28-0, Hansra 3-0-26-0, Rizwan Cheema 4-0-40-0, Desai 4-0-36-0, Baidwan 4-0-20-1, Patel 1-0-10-0.
CANADA innings
H. Patel run-out    55
NR Kumar c W. Cornwall b Baker    3
R. Gunasekera c Baker b W. Cornwall    27
R. Cheema c Martin b W. Cornwall    5
T. Gordon not out    31
Z. Surkari run-out    5
J. Hansra run-out    2
H. Baidwan b Walters    0
Hamza Tariq not out    1
Extras: (lb-2, w-10, nb-1)    13     
Total: (7 wkts, 20 overs)    142
Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-89, 3-101, 4-101, 5-117, 6-140, 7-140. 
Bowling: Walters 2-0-10-1, Baker 4-0-20-1, R Cornwall 2-0-14-0, Athanaze 3-0-20-0, Martin 3-0-27-0, Willett 2-0-16-0, W Cornwall 4-0-33-2.
Points: Leewards 4, Canada 0