By Sean Devers
THE first-day game on the Guyana leg of the Republic Bank CPL T20 league was played in scorching heat at Providence yesterday, with defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs moving a step closer to the playoffs when they beat St. Kitts Patriots by 59 runs.

This was Jamaica’s first win in their last six matches, as St. Kitts were knocked out of this year’s CPL.
The Tallawahs, who moved to seven points, face St. Lucia Kings today in the 10:00hrs game, and another win will take them into the playoffs in fourth position.
Jamaica recovered from 32-4 to reach 178-7, before restricting St. Kitts to 119-9 in 17.3 overs, since Ashmead Nedd could not bat due to an injury.

Jamaica were led by Man-of-the-Match Shamar Springer, who top-scored with 38 from 27 balls, with two fours and a couple of sixes, and shared in the 67-run seventh-wicket partnership with Fabian Allen, who contributed an unbeaten 33 for 18 balls, aided by three fours and a couple of sixes.
Only Ramon Reifer, with 28 from 22 balls with two fours and a six, reached 20, as Nedd (2-25 from 3 overs) and George Linde (2-33 from 4 overs) were the main wicket- takers for the Patriots.
Yannick Cariah played a lone hand, with 65 from 40 balls, in an innings decorated with eight boundaries before being dismissed by Mohammed Amir, who was the second bowler in the game to be on a hat-trick.

Amir, back after recovering from an illness, sent back Andre Fletcher (11), while Evan Lewis was removed by Imad Wasim (2). Will Smeed fell to Springer, and when the dangerman Sherfane Rutherford (1) ‘skied’ Chris Green, and was stupendously taken, running back, by the bowler, St. Kitts were 40-4.
Even though Cariah, who reached his 50 from 34 balls with five fours, offered plenty of fight, no other batter stepped up to the plate, as Amir had a career-best 4-19, and got support from Wasim, who took 3-25.

Earlier, watched by a relatively small crowd which included several schoolchildren whose attendance was made possible by a collaborative effort between CPL, Guardian Life and the Government of Guyana, Jamaica elected to bat on a lighting-fast outfield and dry pitch.
Nedd, the son of Gavin Nedd, who played 14 First-Class matches for Guyana, was hit for six as Skipper Brandon King used his feet to the left-arm spinner.
But the talented Nedd got rid of King (7) and Kirk McKenzie (1) in the space of two runs to leave Jamaica on 9-2.

Nedd’s third over cost 17, as Alex Hales played an inside-out cover-drive for four before depositing him for six.
Hales, after hitting two fours and a six in his 17 from 16 balls, fell to George Linde, who bowled Wasim for a first-ball duck to be on a hat-trick.
Jamaica were wobbling on the ropes at 32-4 in the seventh over, after the six-over power-play only produced 31 runs.

Shamarh Brooks (19) and Reifer (28) revived the position by taking the score to 65, before Brooks was dismissed by Cariah.
Reifer reached the boundary twice, and cleared it once, before he departed at 107-6, and last year’s champions were still on shaky ground.
However, Springer, who was run-out in the final over, and Allen, carried Jamaica to what was, in the end, a winning total.