LUCAS STREET, Barbados, CMC:
FAST BOWLER Daren Powell completed a dream match as he spurred Jamaica to a nail-biting 10-run win over Barbados and their third successive triumph in the 2005 Carib Beer Cup championship at the Windward Club Ground yesterday.
Powell gave his team-mates great joy when he sent last man Jason Bennett's off stump flying with a yorker to dismiss the double crown champions of the past two seasons for 147 after they were set 158 for victory with day and more than two sessions left.
The win came at 5.30 p.m. on the third day amidst great tension after the Barbados lower order, inspired by No. 4 batsman Kurt Wilkinson, had rallied from a precarious 27 for five.
Wilkinson, in a welcome return to form, was skilfully guiding the home team towards the target before he was ninth out for the topscore of 61 with five boundaries in 259 minutes. He hit a full toss from left-arm spinner Nikita Miller into the hands of mid-on in substitute Shawn Findlay with 18 runs needed.
TELLING BLOW
But as partisan fans urged on Corey Collymore and Bennett, Powell produced the telling blow to leave Collymore on six not out which took 77 minutes.
Powell, seeking a recall to the West Indies team for the forthcoming home series against South Africa, took four for 44 to end with match figures of eight for 91.
Along with a crucial, career-best 56 in the second innings - his first ever half-century at this level - he was fittingly named Man-of-the-Match.
Jamaica now have a maximum 36 points, leaving the hapless Barba-dians on four gained from a no-decision against the Windward Islands at the 3Ws Oval in the opening round when rain prevented a ball from being bowled. They were beaten by 48 runs at the North Stars ground, Crab Hill.
AT GROS-ISLET, St. Lucia: The Windwards gained a slender five run first-innings lead but Guyana set up the possibility of a close finish after day three of their third round match at the Beausejour Cricket Ground yesterday.
Trailing the Windward Islands by five runs on first innings, Guyana reached 153 for five at the close of play.
SCORES: GUYANA 176 (Assad Fudadin 34, Vishal Nagamootoo 32 not out, Damodar Daesrath 23, Neil McGarrell 22, Krishna Arjune 20, Trevon Garraway 14; Kenroy Peters 4-23, Shane Shillingford 3-48) & 153-5 (Assad Fudadin 41 not out, Krishna Arjune 40, Damodar Daesrath 38; Deighton Butler 2-13).
WINDWARDS 181 (Junior Murray 51, Darren Sammy 51, Rawl Lewis 34; Imran Jafferally 3-25, Trevon Garraway 2-28, Neil McGarrell 2-53).
AT PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: A soggy outfield, caused by persistent rain forced the abandonment of the scheduled third day of the rain-marred third round match between Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Islands at Queen's Park Oval yesterday. There has been no play in this game since Friday's scheduled start.
