POINTE-A-PIERRE, Trinidad (CMC)::

A LATE three-wicket burst by fast bowler Ravi Rampaul put Trindad and Tobago in the ascendancy to clinch the Carib Beer Challenge final over Barbados after an eventful third day at Guaracara Park yesterday.

After a day in which 14 wickets fell, Barbados, set 275 to win, wobbled to the close on 118 for five after a promising start.

With Trinidad and Tobago under pressure after a second-wicket partnership of 79 between Wayne Blackman and Shamarh Brooks lifted Barbados to 99 for one just after 5:00 p.m., Rampaul dented the visitors' hopes by removing Brooks, Floyd Reifer and Dwayne Smith in a dramatic final 40 minutes in which four wickets fell for 14 runs.

Urged on by a crowd of more than 5,000, Rampaul brought his team back into the match when he broke a worrying partnership by having the 18-year-old Brooks lbw for 36 as he offered no stroke.

Spectators went wild when Rayad Emrit found the outside edge of Blackman's bat for wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin to take a low catch that ended an innings of 54 that included five fours and a six off 85 balls.

Jubilation

There was more jubilation when Kieron Pollard took a spectacular one-handed catch at gully that claimed Floyd Reifer and Rampaul capped off the day by producing an inswinging yorker to win an lbw call against Dwayne Smith who failed to score.

The fast bowler, who is on the comeback trail following a series of injuries, ended the day with four for 18 off 10 overs.

Earlier, Barbados also staged a fightback by managing to dismiss Trinidad and Tobago for 200 just before the tea break to set the stage for an interesting run chase.

They owed it to the good work of left-arm fast medium Pedro Collins, who took four for 37 off 11 overs and right-arm seamer Dwayne Smith, who finished with four for 22 off 7.4 overs.

Resuming on six for one, Trinidad and Tobago were set back early when 16-year-old opener Adrian Barath edged an attempted drive off Collins to third slip for eight.

Nightwatchman Amit Jaggernauth frustrated Barbados by batting for a further hour and 20 minutes and played solidly for his 30 before edging a catch to gully off Corey Collymore.

There was more success for Barbados 14 runs later as Dwayne Bravo failed to keep down an attempted pull off Ryan Hinds and was caught at mid-wicket for four. Pollard survived a confident appeal to a catch at first slip to the very first ball he faced from Hinds and the Bajans showed their obvious disappointment to the decision given against them.

It halted Barbados' advance and Pollard proceeded to add 49 for the fifth wicket with captain Daren Ganga before the visitors made telling inroads in the first hour after lunch.

In the second over after the break, Ganga fell to an uncharacteristically loose stroke, edging a drive to second slip at the start of another fine spell from Collins.

Ganga, a century-maker in the first innings, fell for 44 and ended the Carib Beer Series with an aggregate of 598 runs.

Collins quickly struck again when he induced Pollard into edging a drive to the keeper, after he had made 24.

Barbados sustained the pressure by removing Richard Kelly (10), who chopped a ball into the stumps from the first delivery by Smith.

Smith, who was belatedly brought into the attack, also took care of Rayad Emrit (19) with a catch at mid-wicket as the batsman attempted a flick.

Trinidad and Tobago did not rally as they did in the first innings and Smith finished off the innings by having Ramdin caught by the keeper for 29 and Dave Mohammed taken at point for 15.

SCOREBOARD

Trinidad and Tobago first innings 304Barbados first innings 229Trinidad and Tobago second innings

(Resumed at 6-1)

A. Barath c Smith b Collins