Dottin stars as Barbados retain Regional Women’s Super50 title

BARBADOS completed a 28-run win over Trinidad and Tobago at the Enmore ground yesterday to retain the Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Women’s Super50 title
The Barbadians relied on star player Deandra Dottin, who produced a total all-round effort to sink the Trinidadians.

Chasing 243 for victory, the Twin-Island Republic team were bowled out for 214 in 47.5 overs.
Dottin, who had earlier smashed a 43-ball 73, returned with the ball to capture 6-43, to be named Player-of-the-match.

Earlier, the Barbadian total was built around half-centuries from the Knight sisters (Kycia and Kyshona), along with Dottin.
Kycia struck a top-score of 77 off 88 balls, counting eight boundaries; Dottin hammered three fours and six sixes while Kyshona made a patient 56 off 135 balls, with three boundaries.

Asked to bat first in sunny conditions, Barbados lost both openers– Hayley Matthews and Danielle Small– without scoring to off-spinners Anisa Mohammed (2-45) and Karishma Ramharack (4-37), inside the innings second over.
However, the twin sisters then came to the rescue. The pair played sensible cricket to deny their opponents any further celebration, until the end of the 36th over of the innings, by combining 133 runs for the third-wicket.

The partnership did not only rescue the Barbadians, but it allowed Dottin to play her natural attacking game towards the latter part of the innings.
Just when the partnership between the Knight sisters seemed to be in control, Ramharack came in with the much-needed breakthrough, removing Kycia Knight.

With the addition of another 18 runs on Barbados’ scorecard, Lee-Ann Kirby (1-38), gave the innings another jolt as she removed Kyshona at 151-4.

Thereafter, Dottin lit up the innings with some awesome strokeplay. The 27-year-old Dottin and Charlene Taitt combined for a fifth-wicket stand of 86 off just 58 balls with Dottin single-handedly dominating the partnership with a spectacular display of power. But her dismissal off Mohammed saw Barbados lose momentum towards the end.
Felecia Walters (27), and Rachel Vincent (10), then put together 50 runs for the first wicket in 16.3 overs in the run chase.

But Vincent’s resistance came to an end when she offered a simple return catch to Matthews.

The run chase was further boosted by a few more top order scores from Stacy Ann King (38), Britney Cooper (23), Merissa Aguilleira (32) and Reniece Boyce (39). However, the batters could not sustain the run-chase pressure and folded to the accurate medium-pace bowling of Dottin.

Dottin received able support from Matthews (2-31), and a wicket apiece from Shakera Selman and Small. The players now turn their attention to the T20 tournament which bowls off on Thursday.