By Tony Becca, Contributing EditorZONE A OF the regional Red Stripe Bowl cricket tournament got off to a disappointing start yesterday with the Duckworth/Lewis scoring system deciding the winners of the match between Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Islands XI at the University of the West Indies' Sir Frank Worrell Oval.
Trinidad and Tobago, replying to the Leeward Islands XI's 203 for six off their allotted 50 overs, were 102 for three off 25 overs and the contest was nicely balanced when the match was abandoned due to afternoon showers.
According to the unpopular Duckworth/Lewis system, pre-match favourites Trinidad and Tobago needed to be at 90 for three to win the game and thus won it by 13 runs for a winning start to their campaign for a place in the semi-finals.
After winning the toss and electing to bat on a slow pitch, the Leeward Islands, thanks to Alex Adams - 32 with four fours, Shane Jeffers - 28 with three fours and one six, and Runako Morton - 20 with one four, eased to 55 in the 15th over before losing their first wicket when the left-handed Jeffers swung at right-arm legspinner Dinanath Ramnarine and was caught in the covers, and to 91 in the 24th over before losing wicket number two when Adams dabbed at pacer Dwayne Bravo and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Andy Jackson.
From there on, however, it was tough going for the Leeward Islands batsmen - particularly against left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed, who flighted the ball well, spun it both ways off a good length, and finished with the impressive figures of three for 31 off his 10 overs.
Bowling over the wicket, Mohammed dismissed Morton - caught on the long-off boundary at 98 for three in the 25th over, bowled Stuart Williams at 113 for four in the 29th over - the batsman going back and attempting to cut a delivery that kept low, and removed Tonito Willett at 121 for five in the 33rd over - the batsman beaten through the air and driving a catch straight Shazam Babwah at extra-cover.
Carl Tuckett, who swept Mohammed for his only boundary while stroking 43 off 64
deliveries, attempted a reverse sweep against Ramnarine and was bowled at 167 for six as the Leeward Islands failed to capitalise on a good start.
Set a target of just over four runs an over, Trinidad and Tobago, which boasted the likes of Jackson, Daren Ganga, Brian Lara and Dwayne Bravo in their line-up, must have been confident of victory, and there were many on the ground who believed that it would have been easy for them.
Thanks to a breath-taking catch by Stuart Williams and a careless stroke by Jackson, however, they were two down inside three overs; and when Lara was run out in the 11th over, they were on the run before captain Ganga, leading from the front and getting good support from Bravo, steadied the ship with an unbeaten innings of 49.
Left-hander Imran Jan, going back to pacer Elsroy Powell in the first over of the innings and hitting the ball powerfully, was brilliantly caught by Williams at cover the Islands' captain flying to his right to catch the ball with one hand; Jackson, 'Action' Jackson, went back to Powell and tapped a short delivery straight to Williams at cover to make it 11 for two in the third over; and minutes after the cheers that greeted a front-foot cut off Powell to the point boundary, there was a hush around the ground when, Lara, backing up and then hurrying back after a Ganga drive off offspinner Chaka Hodge into the covers was well-fielded, was runout at 54 for three.
At that stage Trinidad and Tobago were in trouble and it could have been worse.
At 55 for three in the following over, Bravo pushed at medium-pacer Morton and Tuckett, diving forward at short mid-wicket, failed by only an inch or two to reach the ball.
With top bowler, offspinner Omari Banks, bowling consistently on the leg stump of the two right-handers, Ganga and Bravo gradually took control before rain at 3.22 and again at 4.10 p.m. destroyed a match that apparently was heading for a close and exciting finish.
