After a run of four consecutive losses, Trinidad and Tobago's women's cricket team ended the CG United Regional Super50 tournament on a winning note on Wednesday when they defeated Leeward Islands by a four-wicket margin in a low-scoring match at Warner Park in St Kitts.
The two teams occupied the last two spots on the six-team table coming into the fifth and final round of the competition. Leewards entered the match with two points, with TT languishing in sixth with no points.
Leewards opted to bat first at the Basseterre venue, and they were bowled out for a meagre total of 151 inside 41 overs. Medium pacer Caneisha Isaac was the pick of the TT bowlers with figures of three for 33, and she broke Leewards' resistance in her ninth over when she bowled number ten batter Tonya Martin for a well-played 39 off 62 balls.
Martin shared in a 39-run partnership for the final wicket with Rozel Liburd (14) as the Leewards tail tried to frustrate the opposing bowling attack.
Top-order batter Reniece Boyce top-scored for Leewards with 48 off 77 balls, and she found a solid partner in Martin before glancing a leg-side delivery from Samara Ramnath through to wicket-keeper Shuneele Sawh.
Ramnath had figures of two for 22 from her nine overs, left-arm spinner Steffie Soogrim grabbed two for 15 and the pair of Brianna Harricharan and Karishma Ramharack took a wicket apiece.
The TT team have suffered batting collapses in the tournament, and despite a late wobble which saw them losing two wickets with their score on 151, they got to the 152-run target with 53 balls to spare and four wickets intact.
Opening batter Djenaba Joseph (19) and Sawh (two) were dismissed within the space of four overs as TT slipped from 43 without loss to 48 for two. However, the aggressive Lee-Ann Kirby (48 off 30 balls) joined opening batter Ramnath (35 off 114 balls), and the pair put on a 68-run partnership for the third wicket to put TT in an advantageous position.
Kirby and Ramnath fell in consecutive overs as TT fell to 117 for four in the 35th over, but both Britney Cooper and Shanice Pascall contributed 13 runs to the TT total to help them over the line.
TT lost two further wickets off consecutive balls in the 41st over, but a wide ball in the subsequent over from Shawnisha Hector saw TT getting their first win in the tourney.
At the St Paul's Sports Complex, the previously unbeaten Jamaican team were crowned champions despite suffering a heavy five-wicket loss to Guyana. Batting first in a game which was reduced to 44 overs per side, Jamaica were bowled out for just 72. Via the Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) method, Guyana got to the victory target in the 18th over as they notched their fourth win of the tournament.
Jamaica will receive a US$20,000-prize for winning the tournament.
At the Conaree Sports Club, captain Afy Fletcher led from the front with an innings of 72 as the Windward Islands made 233 for nine in their 50 overs before reducing Barbados to 189 for nine to grab a 44-run win.
Attention will now shift to the T20 Blaz
