TAROUBA, Trinidad, (CMC) – St Kitts and Nevis Patriots crumbled under the pressure of a record run chase and plummeted to a 10-run defeat to St Lucia Zouks to remain winless in the Caribbean Premier League here yesterday.

In pursuit of a venue-high 173 at the Brian Lara Stadium, Patriots started strongly but then fell away badly in the middle overs, as Black Caps seamer Scott Kuggeleijn with four for 33 and West Indies off-spinner Roston Chase, with three for 12, tore through the innings with an impressive four-over spells.

Former Test captain Denesh Ramdin, in his first season with Patriots, top-scored with 46 from 35 deliveries while opener Evin Lewis chipped in with 29 from 20 balls, but neither carried on and the remainder of the Patriots batting collapsed around them.

Tail-ender Sheldon Cottrell slammed a cameo 11-ball 26 not out at the death but the effort was a little too late, leaving patriots adrift on 162 for eight from their allotted 20 overs.

Opener Andre Fletcher had earlier top-scored with a chancy 46 off 33 balls as Zouks gathered 172 for six off their 20 overs to mark the highest total of the tournament.

Mohammad Nabi smashed an unbeaten 35 off 22 deliveries to give Zouks impetus towards the end while Trinidadian Mark Deyal punched a 17-ball 30 and Najibullah Zadran supported with 28 from 24 balls.

Sent in, Zouks lost Rahkeem Cornwall to illness in the third over with the score on 17, the burly all-rounder forced off with a spell of dizziness after making just four.

But Deyal arrived to rip into Patriots’ bowling, combining with Fletcher to stretch the first wicket stand to 73 with entertaining stroke-play.

Fletcher, put down on 21 and then again on 38, struck six fours and one six while the left-handed Deyal smashed three sixes – all clean blows over mid-wicket.

Off-spinner Jon-Russ Jaggesar (2-29) then prised out both Fletcher and Roston Chase (4) to trigger a slide which saw five wickets tumble for 35 runs, and suddenly Zouks were tottering on 137 for seven at the start of the 18th over.

However, Nabi changed the complexion of the innings, belting a four and three sixes as Zouks gathered an important 35 runs from the last three overs.

In reply, Patriots lost wickets constantly and quickly found themselves 54 for three in the seventh over.

Chris Lynn (14) was brilliantly caught at square leg by a leaping Najibullah Zadran in the third over, Joshua DaSilva (1) holed out to long on in the fifth over off Chase who then had Lewis caught behind cutting after striking four fours and two sixes.

Ramdin, who belted two fours and sixes, tried to rescue the run chase, posting 34 for the fourth wicket with Ben Dunk (5) and a further 25 for the fifth wicket with Kieran Powell (7).

However, once Powell miscued to the keeper off Kuggeleijn in the 14th over and Ramdin skied the same bowler to Nabi at long on in the 16th over, the run chase fizzled.