Jones, Chase lead Kings to maiden title against Warriors

Oct 07, 2024 Sports

St. Lucia Kings captain Faf Du Plessis celebrates winning the 2024 Republic Bank Premier League Title (Getty Images)

Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League 2024…

Kaieteur Sports – A tide-turning, unbeaten half-century partnership from Aaron Jones and Roston Chase helped create history for the St. Lucia Kings, storming to an 8-wicket win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors as they broke thousands of hearts last night at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Guyana Amazon Warriors’ Romario Shepherd was left unbeaten on 19. (Getty Images)

Bowling first paid off for the Kings, who kept the champs to 138-8 after 20 overs. Only Romario Shepherd’s 19* and South African Dwaine Pretorius, who scored 25 managed to overcome the stranglehold applied by the spinners.

Kings leading spinner Noor Ahmad was the tormentor with 3-19, finding support from five other teammates including pacer Alzarri Joseph and off-spinner Roston Chase, who returned a wicket each.

St. Lucia Kings’ pursuit for the total and title panned out well in the as the reached 139-4 with 11 balls remaining.

Man-of-the-match Jones missed a well-deserved fifty in the finals, racing to 48* off 31 with four big sixes and two fours; following a slow start.

Chase also had a watchful start before ending nicely on 39 not out with a pair of fours and sixes under his belt, adding a match-winning 5th wicket stand of 88 alongside Jones.

Off-spinners Kevin Sinclair (1-5) and Mooen Ali (1-41) coupled with pacers Pretorius (1-25) and Shepherd (1-29), failed to keep the Kings at bay.

Captain Faf Du Plessis (21) kept his nerves after Johnson Charles (7) was bowled by Shepherd but after looking comfortable with two fours and a six, the skipper fell to Ali.

Ackeem Auguste (13) was outfoxed and bowled by Sinclair as the Kings reached 50 after 9 overs. However, Jones and Chase sprung a surprise following a message sent by coach Darren Sammy.

Chase took 27 off an over from Ali’s which swung the tide before the American-born Jones launched a vicious attack on Pretorius, taking 20 off his over as the pair brought the deficit down.

Shepherd then leaked a few boundaries before Tahir, with the Kings needing just a run, opted for a wide delivery to finish the game as the Kings rallied to their first title.

Guyana had their worst boundary game to date, with Ali (14) and in-form Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0) looking shaky at the top of the order.

Dwaine Pretorius top scored for the Guyana Amazon Warriors (Getty Images)

Bajan Shai Hope (22) and local boy Shimron Hetmyer (11), the Warriors leading run-scorers this season tried to pull things back before Chase knocked over his countryman for the second time in a row, while Ahmad removed the latter after hitting Guyana’s first six.

The Warriors 50 came after 10 overs, by then Keemo Paul (12), who had a tough time in the middle, finding boundaries hard to come by, Sinclair (12) and Raymon Reifer who struck two fours apiece; all failed to convert their innings.

Guyana’s 100 came in the 18 overs after the 37-run partnership between Shepherd and Pretorius revived the innings.

The South African blasted two sixes and as many fours in his 12-ball knock, while his Guyanese counterpart managed a couple of fours with a solitary maximum, before Wiese removed his fellow Protea.

St. Lucia Kings players celebrate the wicket of Shimron Hetmyer of Guyana Amazon Warriors (Getty Images)

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Aaron Jones, Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League 2024, Roston Chase, St. Lucia Kings

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