IT ALL started right for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, whose skipper Denesh Ramdin called right at the toss for the fourth successive match and asked the defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs to take first strike in hazy conditions and on a slow track at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence yesterday afternoon.

The Guyana franchise team, who lost to the same opponents in last year’s final, saw Chadwick Walton (53) and Adam Voges (48) piloting Jamaica Tallawahs to 148 for 6 off their 20 overs, in the face of some penetrative bowling from Jimmy Neesham and Ronsford Beaton who ended with 2 for 21 and 27 respectively.
Despite an unbeaten 6 8 from opener Lendl Simmons and a quick-fire 32 from Ramdin who was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the grill from an attempted slower delivery from Jerome Taylor, the Guyana Amazon Warriors fell short by four runs, finishing on 144 for 2.
Walton and his skipper Christopher Gayle added 49 for the first wicket, with the former displaying an attacking attitude when he struck the first two deliveries of the second over from Mohammed Hafeez for 6 and 4, followed by another four off Krishmar Santokie.
Gayle got into the act with a four of his own off Santokie, but before he could tear into the home team’s bowling attack and execute the threat of hitting mystery spinner Sunil Narine for a quartet of sixes, Gayle picked out Leon Johnson at deep mid-wicket off Beaton, after posting 11 of the 49 runs between himself and Walton.
Owais Shah followed Gayle two balls later, when he was bowled by Beaton, leaving the Tallawahs on 50 for 2 in the 8th over of their innings.
Despite the two quick losses, Walton continued to be aggressive, pulling Hafeez for four while Voges also got boundaries off Neesham and Veerasammy Permaul, before seeing Walton post his 50 from 37 balls, one that was decorated with six fours and a six.
He failed to carry on when well set, as he picked out the waiting hands of Simmons at long on off Narine, after contributing 53 to the Tallawahs total from 42 balls, counting the same number of boundaries he struck to get his 50.
Most importantly for the Tallawahs, is the third wicket partnership between Walton and Voges which brought in 55 runs from eight overs, with the team’s 100 being posted one over before Walton was dismissed, with Voges on 26 and Walton 52.
Voges would continue to take the assault to the opposition bowling, hitting Santokie for 6 while Andre Russell pulled Santokie for four, before hitting the first delivery of the final over from Neesham for 6, before both himself and Voges were dismissed by Neesham, who also ran out Carlton Baugh for 3.
In their reply, the Amazon Warriors saw Neesham and Simmons posting 41 for the first wicket from 5.4 overs, with a rampant looking Neesham driving Jerome Taylor all along the ground for four, twice in the second over.
At the other end, Simmons welcomed Nikita Miller into the attack with a six over wide long on, followed by a four back over the bowler’s head and when he punched Rusty The4ron off the back foot through extra cover for another four, the score raced to 36 without loss off four overs.
Neesham was first to go, caught by Russell at mid-on off Theron for 16, followed by Hafeez (09), who was bowled by Miller 13 runs later, before Gayle offered Ramdin a chance running back from mid-off, when the wicketkeeper/batsman looked to hit Miller over that area.
Ramdin grew in confidence after the chance and together with Simmons, set about repairing their team’s innings with Simmons welcoming Russell into the attack with another six over extra cover, even as Ramdin struck Voges for 6.
Simmons posted his half century and the second of the match from 45 balls, counting two fours and the same number of sixes, while the teams 100 was realized from 14.4 overs and with 23 to win from 9 balls, Simmons cut loose with a four over point off Taylor.
Disaster struck for the Amazon Warriors who were hunting their fourth successive victory, when a well set Ramdin was struck on the grill from an attempted slower delivery from Taylor at 132 for 2, forcing him to retire hurt on 32 (28 balls, 1×4, 1×6).
Christopher Barnwell entered the scene to a standing ovation and loud round of applause and he did not disappoint the fans, hitting his first delivery from Taylor, over midwicket for 6, bringing the equation down to 12 from the final over.
Try as they may, Barnwell 10 (5balls, 1×6) and Simmons only managed 7 of those runs from the final over that was bowled by Russell, as the Tallawahs eased away with their third win, while handing the Amazon Warriors their first loss in four matches.

Scorecard
Jamaica Tallawahs Innings
C Walton c Simmons b Narine 53
C Gayle c Johnson b Beaton 11
O Shah b Beaton 00
A Voges c Johnson b Neesham 48
A Russell b Neesham 15
J Blackwood not out 00
C Baugh run out (Neesham) 03
Extras (w8, lb6, b4) 18
Total (for 6 wickets off 20 overs) 148
Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-50, 3-105, 4-145, 5-145, 6-148
Did not bat: D. Vettori, J Taylor N Miller R Theron
Bowling: Santokie 4-0-38-0(w3) Hafeez 2-0-19-0 (w1) Beaton 4-0-27-2 (w2) Narine4-0-15-1 (w1) Neesham 3-0-21-2 (w1) Permaul 3-0-19-0

Amazon Warriors Innings
L Simmons not out 68
J Neesham c Russell b Theron 16
M Hafeez b Miller 09
D Ramdin retire hurt 32
C Barnwell not out 10
Extras (w5, lb3, nb1) 09
Total (for 2 wickets off 20 overs) 144
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-54
Did not bat: M Guptil L Johnson V Permaul S Narine K Santokie R Beaton
Bowling Vettori 4-0-15-0, Taylor 4-0-42-0 (nb1) Theron 4-0-24-1(w2) Miller 4-0-27-1 (w2) Voges 2-0-16-0 Russell 2-0-17-0
Written By Calvin Roberts