Jamaica squeeze past Barbados by 14 runs

Aug 16, 2009 Sports

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Lavine hits magnificent ton in losing cause

On a day blessed with glorious sunshine, Barbadian Pamela Levine made an auspicious start to the 2009 Regional Women’s 50 overs cricket competition with a magnificent century in a losing cause as defending champions Jamaica earned a pulsating 14-run win at Bourda yesterday.
A vocal crowd, much larger than any for this year’s First-class games in Guyana, watched as Jamaica, asked to bat on a slow track and lighting fast outfield, reached 206-6 when their 50 overs expired.
The 40-year-old Lavine then produced a wonderful exhibition of high-class batting and reached the boundary 10 times from 106 balls in her maiden Regional century to take the Player-of-the-Match award.
However, her effort was not enough to prevent Barbados from being dismissed for 192 in 45.2 overs.
Earlier, Twenty-two year old Chedean Nation (65) and 20-year-old Jodian Morgan (49) put together 112 runs for the 2nd wicket for Jamaica to lift them from 20-1 after Denielle Small had trapped Herma Nathan-Dawes leg before for a duck.
Nation, who represented the West Indies in the last Women’s 20/20 World Cup, hit a single boundary from 113 balls in her 65 after being dropped on 38 and 56 before she clipped the versatile Lavine to short mid-wicket to leave Jamaica on 132-2.
Morgan who faced 117 balls and hit 5 fours in her entertaining innings, was run out one short of her fifty at 160-3 to trigger a mini collapse as the girls from Reggie country slipped to 184-7 with West Indies female player Small (10-2-47-3) and Lavine (10-2-43-2), also a West Indies Women’s player, put the brakes on the scoring in sweltering heat.
Lavine, the cousin of former West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge, removed talented West Indies Female all-rounder Shanel Daley just when she was beginning to look threatening in her 15 with 2 fours from 11 balls.
And although the burly Tameka Sanford accelerated the run rate with a cameo unbeaten 21 and the Jamaicans benefited from some loose fielding, the last 8 Bajan wickets tumbled for 46 runs.
With most of the competing teams and several high-profile local cricketing personalities in attendance, Barbados were off to a horrendous start when Small was LBW to Petra Gaye-Hanson before a run was scored.
Michelle Ellis (20) and Lavine, who stroked the ball beautifully down the ground and on-drove with sublime elegance, joined forces to take the score to 79 before Chinelle Henry got rid of Ellis.
West Indies player Dendra Dotin and Lavine took Barbados to 119 before Dotin who struck the ball with savage power to remind the spectators of her 22 ball 50 against Australia in the 20/20 Women’s World Cup this year, fell to Rashana Outar for 21.
Daley quickly bowled Charlene Taitt (7) as she missed an injudicious sweep and trapped Shaquana Quintyne LBW for a painstaking 2 from 25 balls as Barbados slipped to 162-5.
Karla Cohen snatched three wickets including that of the dangerous Lavine in the space of 7 runs as the pendulum swung Jamaica’s way.
Once a tired looking Lavine, who reached her ton from 94 balls with 8 fours, drilled a catch to mid-on at 178-8, Barbados still needed 29 to win from 9 overs.
With the pressure mounting on both sides and the raucous crowd adding to the tension, Kelia Elliotte’s confident drive to extra-cover was mis-fielded by two Jamaicans resulting in a crucial boundary to take the total into the 190s.
Vanessa Watts ensured their were no more electrifying shots from the tailenders as they finished the game in sensational fashion by removing Shakera Selman (0) and Tiffany Thorpe (0) in 2 balls to finish with 2-25 from 7.2 overs. Cohen had 3-37 from 6 while Daley, whose last 5 overs cost just 6 runs, had 2-32 from 10 as Jamaica made a successful start to their title defence.
The competition continues today when host Guyana face Trinidad and Tobago in their opening match at the Police ground and St Vincent face Grenada at Bourda.
Jamaica battle St Lucia at DCC and Barbados oppose Dominica at Wales tomorrow in their next games.
Meanwhile, Captain of the St Lucia Cricket team, Felicia Thomas, led from the front with 3 wickets for a miserly 10 runs to lead St Lucia to a comprehensive five wickets victory over Dominica at the Demerara Cricket Club Ground, Queenstown yesterday.
She received support from her Vice Captain, Verena Felicia who sent down 7 overs with no maidens and captured 2 wickets for 17 runs. Thomas then returned to lash an unbeaten 13 and was eventually voted player of the match.
St Lucia won the toss and invited Dominica to take first strike. Thomas’ heroics ensured the Dominicans never got going and they were dismissed for 83 in 31.3 overs. Anica Andrews top scored for the losers with 13.
The next best batter was Beitena Bekitta, who made 10.
St Lucia managed to knock off the required total in 24.4 overs but lost 5 wickets in the process. P. Ettienne quickly disposed of Swaylene Williams, LBW with the score on one.
Tara Louis was Ettienne’s second victim, bowled for 2. Pamela Alfred replaced Louis and scored 4 before she was dismissed, caught U. Delsol, off the bowling of B. Bekitte. Maria David attempted a second run but failed to cover enough ground before she was run out for 13.

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