First fish, now cricket

BARBADIANS were yesterday forced to eat humble pie once again at the hands of Trinidad and Tobago. In what has been described as sweeter than a flying fish filet with mango salsa sauce, Trinidad and Tobago cricketers registered a 125-run triumph over their Bajan counterparts at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre yesterday to win the Carib Beer Challenge Trophy.

It was the second consecutive victory against Barbados in a regional cricket final this season, adding to the Carib Beer Shield won two months ago in Bimshire.

The win was a fitting way to complete a miraculous turn-around of fortunes for the TT squad, having relinquished their hold on the regional one-day KFC Cup last year, losing all five matches.

Spinner Amit Jaggernauth’s dismissal of Pedro Collins at 1.30 pm sparked a pitch invasion, to the sound of Maximus Dan’s “Soca Warrior,” while the Trinidad and Tobago team did a lap of honour, as they showed their appreciation to the crowd who were allowed onto the ground.

It seemed fitting for Jaggernauth to seal the win for the hosts, as he claimed four wickets for 62 runs, in 35.3 overs of teasing off-spin. In fact, the stocky 22-year-old only returned to the line-up at the latter stages of the Carib Beer Series, as a replacement for debutant leg-spinner Sanjiv Gooljar.

But he finished with 17 wickets, overall, and second in the averages to West Indies “A” team left-arm spinner Dave “Tadpole” Mohammed, who enhanced his chances of an international recall with 45 wickets in the tournament.

Mohammed was the co-star of the show yesterday, as he led the TT attack with four for 55 from 23 overs, but Rayad Emrit, who posted his maiden First-Class century (112) to lead a first innings revival, was the “Man-of-the-Match.”

He started the Barbados slide to defeat with his first ball of the day, replacing Mervyn Dillon from the northern end of the ground.

Jaggernauth lured Kirk Edwards out of his crease and West Indies ‘keeper Denesh Ramdin, who missed a stumping attempt when the batsman had not yet scored, made amends with quick glovework, removing the tall right-hander for ten.

Edwards and left-hander Ryan Hinds added 22 runs to their overnight tally of 110 for four, but Patrick Browne showed his capabilities with the bat with 31 in 36, laced with five splendid boundaries (through the covers in particular) and a swept six over midwicket off Mohammed. But all hopes of a Barbados victory ended for good when Browne attempted another huge sweep, this time to Jaggernauth, and found the hands of Dwayne Bravo on the boundary rope.

West Indies pacer Ian Bradshaw fell shortly after lunch, giving Ramdin a straightforward catch off Mohammed, while Ryan Austin edged a drive off the left-arm spinner to Bravo at second slip.

Hinds, like Browne, offered a glimmer of hope for Barbados, producing a captain’s knock of 50 in nearly four hours of solid concentration, but first ball after reaching his half-century, he lofted Mohammed to Richard Kelly, running back at mid-off.

And Collins played all over to an arm-ball from Jaggernauth to end his team’s misery.

Wild celebrations marked the victory coming 21 years after Trinidad and Tobago last ruled the regional cricket scene.

It was especially significant for the sponsors of the tournament, Carib Beer who are based in Champs Fleurs, Trinidad.

(See Pages 22A, 39A and 42A)