Blaze Regional Women’s T20King, Cooper 50s overshadows Campbell’s *77; T&T beat Guyana by 5 wickets at Providence

Mar 29, 2019 Sports

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Story and photos by Sean Devers
A masterful unbeaten 77 from 26-year-old Guyana Captain Shemaine Campbell was overshadowed by fifties from Player-of-the-Match Stacy-Ann King and Britney Cooper as Trinidad & Tobago won by five wickets in game two of the Blaze Regional Women’s T20 Cricket Championships at Providence yesterday.
Campbell hit six fours and three sixes in her undefeated knock and shared in a 36-run stand with Smartt (22 from 25 balls) but only opener Sheneta Grimmond (21) and Thompson (11) of the other batsmen reached double figures on a track with a tinge of grass and a lightning fast outfield as Guyana made 157-4 after winning the toss and electing to bat.
Anisa Mohammed had 2-35 for T&T which joined Barbados and defending T20 Champions Jamaica as first round winners. The 35-year-old King played an array of majestic shots in her 48-ball 59 and reached the boundary five times while clearing it once.
She shared in 68-run opening stand with Lee-Ann Kirby who made 31 and a 58-run fifth wicket with Cooper who ended unbeaten on 52 from 28 balls with eight fours and a six as the Trinis galloped to 161-5 from 18. 4 overs.
Akaze Thompson, Tremayne Smartt, Mandy Mangru and Kaysia Schultz had one wicket each for the Guyanese. Guyana began in sweltering heat and Grimmond cut Caneisha Isaacs for four before driving her for another boundary down the ground.
Along with Smartt who replaced the usually sedate Mangru at the top of the order, they took the score to 29 before Grimmond who hit four fours in her 17-ball 22, was caught and bowled by Mohammed who opened the bowling with her off-spin.
Smartt batted cautiously while the inform Campbell, one of three batsmen with centuries in the 50 overs format, was also kept in check by the Trini spinners. Just after the 50 was posted Smartt was caught behind off Kirby at 65-2 in the 11th overs.
Shabika Gajnabi (7) did not last long and was run out at 79-2 in the 14th over as bowlers kept the pressure on the Guyana who were kept on a short leash. Thompson and Campbell added 54 for fourth wicket as Campbell began to find her range with a series of glorious shots before Mohammed bowled Thompson for 11 just when she stepped into second gear to leave the score on 133-4.
The tempo picked up as Campbell hit Mohammed over mid-wicket for six and launched into Karishma Ramharack; clobbering her for a couple fours and two sixes in the last over and along with Erva Giddings (3 not out) added 24 for fifth wicket from just seven balls as 74 runs were scored in last six overs.
Trinidad & Tobago began their chase like a run-away train, racing to 68 in 6.3 overs before Kirby hit Thompson to long-off. Reniece Boyce (6) then skied Smartt for Mangru to hold a good catch at 78-2 in the 8th over.
Shania Abdool (2) was brilliantly run out by a direct hit to the non-striker’s end by Gajnabi in the 11th over at 90-3 as the Guyanese lasses looked sharp in the field. Cooper arrived at the crease in a no-nonsense mood and along with King flayed the Guyanese bowlers to all parts of the field with Cooper showing her repertoire of reverse sweep, dilscoops and elegant drives which King favoured on side and executed some brutal pulls and sweeps.
Cooper reached the ropes five times in Gajnabi’s only over which cost 20. While T&T used their spinners well to restrict Guyana in the first half of their innings, Campbell banked on pace and off-spinner Mangru and left arm spinner Schultz were belatedly introduced.
Schulz had King LBW at 148-4 when she missed a sweep while Mangru bowled Skipper Merissa Aguilera (1) with a beautifully flighted ball that pitched just outside off and turned back to go through the gate.
But at 151-5 it was too little too late as Cooper finished off the contest by smashing Schultz to the mid-wicket boundary. Meanwhile, Barbados, led by a blistering 65 with 10 fours and three sixes from 23 balls by 27-year-old Deandra Dottin beat Leewards by 99 runs in the opening game.
Fresh off the 50-overs success, the Bajans made 206-6 before limiting the Islanders to 107-5 when their 20 overs expired. Player-of-the-Match Dottin clobbered Jenisan Richards for six boundaries in the eighth over, including two sixes in an over that cost 36 runs before wading into her in her next over and smashing her for five more fours as Dottin added 80 for the fourth wicket with Kyshona Knight who was the silent partner with eight.
Skipper Hayley Matthews had earlier set the foundation for the 200 plus total with a stylish 45 decorated with eight fours and a six as Amanda Edwards had 2-24. Matthews retuned with her off-spin to take 2-21 as only Shebani Bhaskar with a 39-ball unbeaten 40 with five fours and Shawnisha Hector (18), offered resistance.
In the last game, under lights, the defending Champions Jamaica beat the Windwards by 62 runs after reaching 185-2 and restricting the Islanders to 123-8. Jamaica’s total was made on the back of a 123-run opening stand between Jodian Morgan, unbeaten on 72 from 57 ball with 10 fours and two sixes and Natasha Mclean who made 56 from 46 balls with five fours and two sixes.
Peal Etienne removed Mclean and Chenille Henry (10) before Skipper Stefanie Taylor, who made 19 from just nine balls with two fours and a six added 28 with Morgan from the last 14 balls.
Etienne had 2-33 for the Windwards’ who lost Rachel Francis (4) when she was bowled by Henry at 4-1 but Juliana Nero and Afy Fletcher offered fight with a 67-run stand before Fletcher to Chedean Nation for 35 with six fours but although Nero made 61 from with nines fours, the task was always too big for the Windwards. Henry had 2-20.
Today, Guyana play Leewards from 09:00hrs, Windwards face T&T from 14:00hrs before Barbados face off with Jamaica under lights from 19:00hrs.

 

 

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