TAMAR Lambert and Shawn Findlay held their nerves while some of their teammates lost theirs, as Jamaica eased past Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) by five wickets to win the Clive Lloyd Regional  Super50 trophy at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, last night. Responding to T&T’s meagre total of 118 all out which was scored off 46.1 overs, thanks to Jamaica’s spin-based attack, the eventual champions struggled during the earlier stages of their innings before ending on 122 for 5 from 35.4 overs, thanks to Lambert and Findlay.
The pair added an unbroken 45-run sixth-wicket partnership from 6.2 overs, to seal the win for the Jamaicans who last won a Regional limited overs title four years ago, when they defeated T&T at the Three W’s Oval, in Cave Hill Barbados.
Earlier in the day, T&T won the toss and opting to take first strike on a slow track, must have regretted such a decision as they were shakily placed on 30 for 4, thanks to the bowling of fast bowler Andre Russell and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller.
Russell started the slide when he removed both openers in Justin Guillen (8) and William Perkins (7) while Miller accounted for skipper Daren Ganga and Dwayne Bravo who made 7 and 1 respectively.
Sherwin Ganga (19) and Jason Mohammed 32 added 43 for the fifth wicket, with Mohammed hitting Gayle for two fours in his first over, raising the team’s 50 with the second four, while Sherwin Ganga drove Krishmar Santokie through extra cover for his lone boundary.
When they looked as if they would take their team to safety and on the road to a comfortable score, Sherwin Ganga was lbw to Gayle and he was quickly followed by Sunil Narine (16) who was also lbw to Gayle, but not before he struck Odean Browne over long off for six.
Jason Mohammed was next to go, brilliantly caught by Gayle at short extra cover off Browne, having faced 53 deliveries and hitting three fours in his top score of 32, leaving T&T on 98 for 7.
T&T reached their 100 off the final delivery of the 37th over, but crumbled to 118 nine overs later, thanks to Miller (3-19), Russell (2-10), Gayle 2-31 and Browne 2 for 34, setting Jamaica the 2007 champions a relatively small total.
When Jamaica began their reply, they lost Kennar Lewis (0) and Xavier Marshall (5) who were both lbw to Narine and Sherwin Ganga, leaving their team on 14 for 2 in the fourth over, which was taken to 24 for 2 at the lunch break, with Gayle and Danza Hyatt on 9 and 1 respectively.
When play resumed after lunch, Jamaica lost the wicket of Gayle who was lbw to Samuel Badree for 12 scored off 42 balls, followed by Browne who holed out to Jason Mohammed at long on off Dave Mohammed for 6, leaving Jamaica shakily placed on 42 for 4 in the 17th over.
Tamar Lambert joined Hyatt and pushed Jamaica to 77 with both batsmen hitting Narine for four before Hyatt was removed via lbw to Rayad Emrit for 29 which was scored off 78 deliveries with two fours.
Shawn Findlay replaced Hyatt and struck Emrit for four through midwicket in successive overs, while Lambert steered the same bowler to vacant third man for his second four to push Jamaica to 100 for 5 off 31.4 overs.
Fittingly, Findlay eased Sherwin Ganga through extra cover for four in the 36th over, to complete a painstaking five-wicket victory for Jamaicans as he ended undefeated on 25 while Lambert made a resilient 30, with Findlay hitting three fours and Lambert two.
At the presentation ceremony that followed, Miller was named the man-of-the-match while Gayle was named best all-rounder of the tournament, Guyana’s Derwin Christian (best wicketkeeper), and Jason Mohammed best batsman and player-of-the-tournament respectively.

T&T innings
W. Perkins c Findlay b Russell    7
J. Guillen c Walton b Russell    8
D. Ganga lbw Miller    7
D J. Bravo b Miller    1
S. Ganga lbw Gayle    19
J. Mohammed c Gayle b Browne    32
S. Narine lbw Gayle    16
K. Cooper c Russell b Miller    6
R. Emrit run out (Marshall/Browne)    3
S. Badree not out    10
D. Mohammed c Miller b Browne    2
Extras: (lb-1, w-5)    6
Total: (all out off 46.1 overs)    118
Fall of wickets:  1-15, 2-21, 3-25, 4-30, 5-74, 6-92, 7-98, 8-102, 9-111.
Bowling: Santokie 6-0-23-0 (w-4) Russell 7-0-10-2, Miller 12-2-19-3 (w-1), Gayle 10-3-31-2, Browne 11.1-2-34-2.

JAMAICA innings
C. Gayle lbw Badree    12
K. Lewis lbw Narine    0
X. Marshall lbw S. Ganga    5
D. Hyatt lbw Emrit    29
O. Browne c J. Mohammed b D. Mohammed    6
T. Lambert not out    30
S. Findlay not out    25
Extras: (w-13, b-2)    15
Total: (for 5 wickets off 35.4 overs)    122
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-14, 3-31, 4-42, 5-77.
Bowling: Narine 11-3-32-1 (w-2), S. Ganga 9-0-31-1 (w-9), Badree 8-0-21-1, D. Mohammed 4-0-18-1 (w-1), Emrit 4-0-18-1 (w-1).