Sagicor HPC clinch seven-run win over Windwards to reach semis
SAGICOR HPC battled to a seven-run victory against the Windward Islands at the Everest Cricket Club Ground yesterday which propelled them to eight points in Group A and the runner up position behind Guyana  on 12 points. Both Sagicor and Guyana will have to await their semi-final opponents after the completion of Group B matches today. Jamaica will engage in  battle with Trinidad and Tobago at the  Everest ground, while Leeward Islands face Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) at the Guyana National Stadium.
The Jamaicans lead the Group with 14 points while T&T is second on eight points while CCC who also has a chance to make it into the semis has four points and Leewards are four points in the hole.
Yesterday at the Everest ground, Windwards won the toss and chose to field as Sagicor got up to 234 – 6 in their allotted overs then restricted the eventual losers to 227 all out in 49.5 overs.
Sagicor began the defence of their total on the positive foot as pacer Shannon Gabriel claimed the wicket of Johnson Charles without scoring, with the score on two. Following that the players went in for the lunch interval; Windwards were 11 – 1 with Smith and Andre Fletcher at the middle.
With Devon Smith’s flaw of reading the slower bowling with the new ball, Sagicor opened their attack with Gabriel and Versammy Permaul, who bowls left arm orthodox, but Smith managed to put up good resistance to see him off.
Smith and Fletcher, after playing themselves in began to make big scoring shots and had the opposition’s bowling attack under some amount of pressure. The pair took Windwards to 59 before Fletcher’s steamy innings of 35 came to a halt when he edged one from Keron Cottoy to slip.
Keddy Lespories and Smith pressed on the score to 98 then the former was removed for 18 by Cottoy.
Liam Sebastian (63 not out) was next to join Smith in the middle and played a quite important innings that nearly won them the battle. He was dropped for zero in the covers by Bonner and exploited that opportunity to the fullest.
As Windwards approached the target, Sebastian watched his teammates Hyron Shallow (8), Craig Emmanuel (26), and Dalton Polius (17) tumble around him to expose the lower order which was destroyed by Man-of-the-match Jason Holder.
At one point Windwards needed 30 runs from 30 balls with five wickets in hand but it was the last two overs from which  20 runs were required for victory, that  Polius, Garey Mathurin, Denis George and Nelon Pascal were ran over.
Holder finished with four wickets while Cottoy, Bonner and Gabriel picked up two wickets each.
Earlier in the day, Sagicor HPC had two vital batting performances from number three batsman Nkrumah Bonner and captain Shamar Brooks, along with help from their teammates from Guyana Rajendra Chandrika and Versammy Permaul.
HPC’s total was constructed mainly on the partnerships put together which caused the scoreboard to keep ticking. The first significant partnership was that of Bonner (65) and Chanrika (32) which was worth 53 runs.
Bonner laced his 77-ball innings with five boundaries and a maximum while Chandrika only recorded one four in his innings but played through the gaps and picked up singles and doubles.
The classy Brooks and Permaul, who were left unbeaten on 61 and 35 respectively, contributed 80 runs for the seventh wicket which got Sagicor up to a defendable total.
Windward Islands managed to clamp down on HPC’s scoring with some quick wickets which caused the young batting side to be a bit more watchful. However, two more partnerships worth 33 and 38 between Bonner and Devon Thomas (16), and Bonner and Brooks kept the foundation solid.
Kevin Corbin (10), Shane Dorwich (2) and Jason Holder (2) were unfortunate not get any runs on what seemed a dead Everest pitch.
Dennis George claimed 2 – 62 while Nelon Pascal, Garry Mathurin and Dolton Polis supported with one wicket each.

Scoreboard
SAGICOR HPC innnings (maximum 50 overs)
K. Corbin c wkpr Fletcher b Pascal 10
R. Chandrika run out 32
N. Bonner c wkpr Fletcher b Pascal 65
+S. Dowrich b Polius 2
D. Thomas c Mathurin b George 16
*S. Brooks not out 61
J. Holder c Charles b Mathurin 2
V. Permaul not out 35
Extras (b1, lb3, w5, nb2) 11
TOTAL (6 wkts, 50 overs) 234
K. Cottoy, S. Gabriel, B. Bess did not bat
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-75, 3-79, 4-112, 5-150, 6-154
Bowling: Pascal 10-2-38-1 (w3); Sebastien 12-0-50-0 (w1); George 10-0-62-2 (nb1); Mathurin 12-1-42-1 (nb1); Polius 6-1-38-1 (w1)

WINDWARD ISLANDS innings  (target: 235 off 50 overs)
D.S. Smith c Permaul b Bonner 39
J. Charles c Permaul b Gabriel 0
+A. Fletcher c *Brooks b Cottoy 35
K. Lesporis lbw b Cottoy 18
L. Sebastien not out 63
H. Shallow c *Brooks b Bonner 8
C. Emmanuel b Holder 26
D. Polius c wkpr Dowrich b Gabriel 17
G. Mathurin b Holder 1
D. George b Holder 7
N. Pascal b Holder 0
Extras (lb3, w6, nb4) 13
TOTAL (all out, 49.5 overs) 227
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-59, 3-98, 4-100, 5-114, 6-179, 7-212, 8-215, 9-227
Bowling: Permaul 11-3-42-0 (w2); Gabriel 8-1-52-2 (w1); Holder 9.5-0-47-4 (w1); Cottoy 12-1-53-2 (nb4, w1); Bonner 9-0-30-2
Points: HPC 4, Windwards 0