SCARBOROUGH, Tobago – Impressive bowling from Johnnel Eugene and Nathaniel McDavid helped Windward Islands and hosts Trinidad & Tobago fortify their bids for the Regional Under-17 title here yesterday.Eugene, the son of former senior Windwards batsman John Eugene, grabbed 5-22 from nine overs to bowl the Windwards to a 103-run victory over Jamaica in the key fourth round match at Canaan.
At the same time, McDavid collected 5-22 from 5.4 overs to set up T&T for a five-wicket victory over last year’s champions Barbados in a low-scoring affair at Shaw Park in the Tobago capital.
In the other match, a spell of 3-10 from 3.2 overs from off-spinner Bhaskar Yadram topped left-arm spinner Zawandi Whyte’s 4-39 from 10 overs to lead Guyana past Leeward Islands by 126 runs at Louis D’Or.
The results meant that the Jamaicans remained in pole position on 19.4 points, narrowly ahead of T&T on 19.1 and Windwards are third on 18.1 with Guyana on 12.2, Barbados on seven and Leewards on 0.8 out of the race for the title.
The players take a break today and resume play tomorrow for the final round when Windwards face Leewards in the all-Islands clash at Canaan, Trinidad & Tobago meet Guyana at Mount Pleasant and Barbados tackle Jamaica at Shaw Park.
At Canaan: Leewards slumped to 31 for five in the 13th over and never offered a serious challenge to a victory target of 208.
Jemuel Cabey led the way for Leewards with 22, but no other batsman reached 20, as Yadram hastened the end with his three scalps coming in the space of seven deliveries.
Guyana had benefited from consistent batting down the order, led by Ramnarine Chatura’s 39 and 33 for Joshua Persaud, but Whyte bowled with purpose to ensure that they were dismissed for 207 in 48.1 overs, after they chose to bat.
At Shaw Park: The Jamaicans, chasing 226 for victory, made a bright start with an opening stand of 72 between Gordon and Beale.
Gordon was lbw to Narun Singh for the top score of 45 in the 15th over before the same bowler had Dominic Samuels caught close to the wicket for 13 and Jamaica captain Brad Barnes was run-out for a duck without facing a ball to leave his side stumbling at 90 for four.
Eugene spun into action, ensuring they never recovered, and the previously-unbeaten Jamaicans lost their last seven wickets for 28 runs in the space of 24 deliveries with the run-out of Andre McCarthy bringing the innings to a tame conclusion.
Earlier, the Windwards’ innings was at the crossroads, when they stumbled to 74 for four in the 22nd over, but Johann Jeremiah anchored as he struck eight fours and one six, carrying his bat for an unbeaten 84 from 126 balls to lead their revival.
He shared 86 for the fifth wicket with Nick Elibox and 65 – unbroken – for the sixth wicket with Tahj Tavarnier to put the Windwards back on track.
Elibox supported with four fours and two sixes in an even 50 from 77 balls and Tavarnier was 19 not out.
At Louis D’Or: McDavid bamboozled the Barbadian batsmen, after they started steadily to reach 56 for one after 13 overs.
McDavid scalped four of the next five wickets that fell including top-scorer Shian Brathwaite for 35 and T&T captain Kirstan Kallicharran hastened the conclusion of their arch-rivals’ innings with two wickets.
Opener Keagan Simmons made sure that the home team had few worries with an unbeaten 40, but off-spinner Donte Niles threatened to spoil the party, when he poached 3-9 from seven overs.