Defending Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) champions got their second win in as many days when they defeated hosts Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) by seven wickets in their encounter at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba on August 22.
In the opening game of the WCPL season on August 21, Royals just scraped past the Guyana Amazon Warriors by one wicket in a low-scoring thriller after being set a 119-run target.
Against the 2022 champs TKR, the Royals chased a 114-run target and they did so comfortably with 17 balls to spare.
Again, the Royals had their brilliant skipper Hayley Matthews to thank for their victory, as the West Indies women's captain struck an unbeaten 67 off 56 balls – her second straight unbeaten fifty in the young tournament.
Similar to her innings against the Warriors the night before, the 26-year-old Matthews paced her team's chase beautifully as she carried her bat through the innings.
Matthews hit 11 boundaries, and she oozed class throughout the Royals innings, playing a number of masterful shots through the off side.
The Royals lost Sri Lankan star Chamari Athapaththu (five) to left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen in only the second over as they slipped to ten for one. Matthews and Qiana Joseph (16 off 19 balls) steadied the chase with a 65-run partnership as they took the threat out of the TKR team.
[caption id="attachment_1104244" align="alignnone" width="1024"] TKR batter Anisa Mohammed on the charge. - Photo by Ayanna Kinsale[/caption]
Joseph was well caught on the boundary by Chedean Nation off veteran spinner Anisa Mohammed in the 12th over, with Aaliyah Alleyne (11) following soon after a short cameo as Barbados slipped to 88 for three in the 15th over.
There were to be no jitters for the Royals, though, as Laura Harris (14 off seven balls) joined the skipper to see their team over the line with ease.
Fittingly, Matthews scored the winning runs when she pumped Shikha Pandey to the long-on boundary at the start of the 18th over.
Opting to bowl first, the Royals had a dream start to the contest when Chinelle Henry clean-bowled Kycia Knight off the very first ball of the game. The hosts had a stop-start innings in getting to 113 for nine, and they were stuttering at 33 for four after the power play. Harshitha Samarawickrama (three), Jemimah Rodrigues (16) and Jonassen (duck) followed Knight back to the pavilion as the Royals took control of the game early.
Matthews' charges showed moments of brilliance in the field, with both Matthews and Amanda-Jade Wellington taking excellent catches to end the innings of Rodrigues and Samarawickrama. Another piece of excellence came in the eighth over when Alleyne effected a smart one-hand pick-up and throw to dismiss Nation (two) via the run out route.
At the start of the ninth over, TKR skipper Deandra Dottin (28 off 26 balls) threatened to cut loose when she struck experienced leg-spinner Afy Fletcher for a six and two fours off consecutive balls. Dottin's six was the lone one of the TKR innings, and she lofted Fletcher
