TT beaten by one wicket

KINGSTOWN: Reviving memories of the “Tanty Merle” match of 30 years ago at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, the Windward Islands eked out a thrilling, one-wicket victory over Trinidad and Tobago in their fourth round Carib Beer Series regioanl cricket match at the Arnos Vale Ground yesterday. Windwards, set 202 for victory in one session and two days, reached their target when Deighton Butler guided a ball from the hard-working Reyad Emrit (three for 56) through the slips to end on 202 for nine at 2.53 pm on the third day of the four-day match.

Butler, who batted for more than two hours, was unbeaten on 10 and with him was Kenroy Peters on 11. The win pushed Windwards to 22 points and second in the standings behind Jamaica. The Windwards began the day on 69 for four with Sergio Fedee on 30 and Liam Sebastien on six and were indebted to allrounder, Darren Sammy who stroked a beautiful half century. Captain Rawl Lewis, who struck an important 32, steadied the lower order after some early setbacks. The first of these came in the second ball of the day when Sebastien, who encountered a number of problems from Richard Kelly in both innings, was leg before wicket to the same bowler without adding to his overnight score and with the total on 72. Fedee (36), whose confidence level appeared to be rising, was then run out in a bad mix up with Sammy with the total on 101. Sammy, attemping a pull off Emrit, gloved the ball to wicketkeeper, Denesh Ramdin who floored the catch.

Fedee then ran through for a quick single but got no response from Sammy and was found short after Ramdin returned the ball to Emrit, who effected the run out with the batsman well short. Lewis then joined “Man-of-the-Match” Sammy in a 56-run seventh wicket partnership before the latter, who played some handsome shots on both sides of the wicket, slashed a wide delivery from Emrit to gully where Sherwin Ganga held a sharp catch. Sammy batted for 128 minutes and struck six fours. With captain Daren Ganga showing little faith in the sometimes-threatening Dave Mohammed, the preferred Sherwin Ganga then had Lewis (32) taken by Amit Jagernauth at slip at 176 for eight.

Emrit, bowling with the second new ball, trapped Shane Shillingford (6) LBW with one which kept a little low to make it 188 for nine. Peters then joined Butler and with everyone feeling the heavy tension, the two then set about inching the score to the target. Peters eased some of the tension by square-driving Emrit to the point boundary to make carry the score to196 for nine and another good drive by Peters brought him three, to take Windwards within three of victory. Two good overs a piece from Kelly and Emrit then kept the Windwards pair quiet before Butler completed the victory. Kelly finished with two for 40. Sammy, who took four 21 and two for 17 to go with his 59, was named the “Man-of-the-Match.”