- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
Trinidad and Tobago batsman William Perkins is bowled for 36 by Jamaica's Ziggy Levy (not in picture) in their TCL Group West Indies Under-19 one-day semi-final match at Chedwin Park yesterday. Jamaica's wicketkeeper, Damion Ebanks, looks on.
Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
IT COULD hardly have been closer. In a nail-biting finish, Jamaica secured a spot alongside Barbados in today's TCL Group West Indies one-day final by beating defending champions Trinidad and Tobago by one wicket at Chedwin Park yesterday.
Chasing 199 for victory after Trinidad and Tobago were restricted to 198 for eight from their 50 overs, Jamaica secured victory with one ball to spare.
In the final over Jamaica needed 10 runs and Trinidad needed one wicket and that was when Spanish Town's Wayne Morgan came to the fore.
Morgan kept his nerve and took advantage of the last over bowled by spinner Rishi Bachan. The allrounder who took 3-48 in Trinidad's innings, picked up two runs off the first ball then followed that with a big six and then a single to tie the match, leaving things up to his No. 11 partner, Alton Beckford, one not out, who made sure the home team will contest its first one-day final on home soil.
At the top of the innings, Yanick Elliott, 51, and Xavier Marshall, 29, got Jamaica off to a blazing start and were going at 7.4 runs per-over in the 10th over. The two put on 79 for the first wicket, but after Marshall and Elliott departed to leave the scoreboard reading 86 for two, Jamaica's middle order crumbled for the second straight match.
Ziggy Levy, 24, Damion Ebanks, 13, Jamie Trenchfield, 13, and Albert Gopie, 12, contributed only 62, but Morgan, batting at No. 7, was able to turn things around with an unbeaten 34, which included one six and a four off 39 deliveries.
Bennett was not happy with his team's batting after the game despite the victory.
"I think our batsmen made a mountain out of the target. I don't think our middle batted well but I have to give credit to Marshall and Elliott who gave us that good start."
There, however, were couple positives.
OUT-CRICKET, GOOD
"Our out-cricket was good today, and the bowlers stuck to the task," he said.
Earlier, Trinidad, choosing to bat, got most of their runs from Manoj Sirju, 57, William Perkins, 36, and Petrock Nicholas, 31, against Levy, who supported Morgan with 2-26.
Barbados narrowly defeated Jamaica in their Zone A top-of-the-table preliminary match on Thursday, which prompted Bennett to say of today's rematch: "I am looking for keenly contested match".
"It's a final and it's going to be a high pressure game."
Based on their preliminary round record, and the fact they defeated Jamaica, Barbados should start favourites, although the homeboys may be saving the best for last.
Going into today's final at Melbourne, Barbadian coach Roderick Estwick said: "We still are not happy with one on two areas, but we are getting there.
"Hopefully tomorrow we can get it 100 per cent right."
