THE rain-hit preliminary rounds of the Regional Women’s Suerr 50 tournament concluded yesterday with Jamaica whipping hosts Guyana by 43 runs at the Everest Cricket Club ground. Play in the other two matches between Windward Islands and Trinidad & Tobago at Enmore, and Barbados and Leeward Islands at Enterprise were abandoned without a ball being bowled.
After the preliminary rounds, Trinidad and Tobago topped the points standing with 13 points and have qualified for tomorrow’s final. However, the other finalists are yet to be decided after Guyana and Barbados tied on eleven points.
Chronicle Sport was told by match officials yesterday that the WICB statistician will need to calculate the net run rate in order to determine the other finalists, but up to press time last evening, no further details were made available.
Meanwhile, sent in to bat after the game was reduced to 20 overs, Jamaica openers Jodian Morgan and Stafanie Taylor added 23 for the first wicket before they slipped to 23-3.
Morgan (17) was the first to be dismissed, off the bowling of Tremayne Smartt. Taylor followed immediately after, bowled by Erva Giddings for five.
Soon after Shanel Daley was removed without scoring by Akaze Thompson, but player-of-the-match Chedean Nation then added two vital partnerships of 35 runs each, with Natasha McLean (10) and Rashada Williams (25).
Nation was eventually dismissed off the bowling of Giddings for a top-score of 35, inclusive of three boundaries, at 93-5. Tameka Sanford hit a six while Vanessa Watts made an unbeaten 15 which carried Jamaica to their challenging total.
Bowling for the hosts, Giddings finished with 3-23 while Thompson had 2-25 and Smartt finished with 1-25.
In reply, Guyana never came to grips with the Jamaican attack and struggled from the outset.
Shemaine Campbelle (18) Latoya Smith (16) and Thompson (11) were the only players to reach double figures as Guyana lost wickets on a regular basis and were eventually bowled out for 82 in 17.4 overs. Off-spinner Vanessa Watts was the beat bowler, claiming 3-22. There were two wickets apiece for Nation, Taylor and Daley.