Hinds, Branch, Nurse star as Windward grab BCA Division 2 T20 Plate title

WINNING WINDWARD:

Front row (from left) Rashoun Archer, Glenmar Hinds, Lydia Nurse (scorer), Lamar Springer (captain), Chris St. Hill, Max Symes, Rio Armstrong.
Back Row (from left) Jafari Toppin (Coach), Alan Branch, Micah Stuart, Ronnico Ross, Elon Davis, Sadiki Nurse, Kai Rollins, Kemar Carter, Andrew Lythcott.

By Keith Holder

Bridgetown, Barbados, June 10 – (www.barbadoscricket.org) – Windward blew away Lords by eight wickets with as many as 19 balls to spare to capture the 2023 BCA Division 2 Twenty20 Plate Championship at Desmond Haynes Oval.

In what turned out to be a lop-sided Final, the 102-year-old Club, based at Lucas Street in the south-eastern parish of St. Philip, displayed cohesion and hunger for success, much to the enjoyment of their fans.

Lords were simply let down by their batting after scoring at roughly eight runs an over in the powerplay.

Sent in, the Lowlands, St. Lucy side passed 50 with only one wicket down but then sensationally lost their last nine wickets for 61 runs in 12.3 overs to be all out for 119 in 19.2 overs.

Then, paved by an opening partnership of 68 in 8.3 overs between veteran Alan Branch and the heavy-set Glenmar Hinds, Windward made light work of the target.

Hinds, a 24-year-old resident of Oldbury, St. Philip and packing 270 pounds, made 52 off 40 balls with five fours and four sixes before he was bowled by left-arm spinner Mario Boyce.

A former Lester Vaughan Secondary student, born in the central parish of St. Thomas, Hinds ended the tournament with 431 runs including one hundred and three half-centuries at an average of 39.18. He smashed 43 fours and 29 sixes and boasted a strike rate of 165.76.

Branch opened his shoulders after a quiet start to score 48 not out off 34 balls including two fours and four sixes.

Lords, with a psychological advantage of beating Windward by 26 runs in the seventh round (Zone ‘D’) of the league phase at Lowlands on May 6, flattered to deceive today.

After losing experienced left-hander Boyce, caught in the covers by Elon Davis off left-arm spinner and Player Of The Match Sadiki Nurse without scoring in the fourth ball of the match, Lords soon rebuilt by way of a second wicket stand of 58 in 6.2 overs between Kemar Goddard and Daveion Roach.

But the dismissal of Roach, caught by Ronnico Ross off off-spinner Rashoun Archer for 21 off 20 balls with three boundaries proved to be a telling turning point.

In the next over, Goddard was run out for the top-score of 32 off 23 deliveries including four fours and one six after a terrible mix-up with Shonquono Stanford, with both batsmen staring at each other in the crease at the striker’s end.

One over later, Stanford, pulling, was leg before wicket by Archer for four.

The batsmen then became bogged down and to such an extent that veteran all-rounder Khalid Springer and Juvall Hinds took 27 balls to add 19 – the second highest partnership – before Hinds fell to off-spinner Kai Rollins for seven off 20 balls.

Springer was dismissed in the following over, leg before wicket by Nurse for six off 12 deliveries.

Skipper Andre Brathwaite was another leg before wicket victim, to off-spinner Davis, and the same bowler removed Justin Strickland for 18 off 15 balls with three boundaries.

The last two wickets – Damian Hinds (eight) and Shaquille Farley – fell off successive balls from pace bowling all-rounder Ross.

Nurse took two for 12 off four overs, Ross, two for 15, Davis, two for 16 and Archer, two for 37.

Archer ended the competition as the top wicket-taker for Windward with 16.

It was the third season for the tournament.

Midas Magic Ipswich were the inaugural champions in 2020, beating BNOC by seven runs in the Final at Kensington Oval.

Cupid Cavaliers captured the title last year, defeating Greens by seven wickets at Wayne Daniel Pavilion in Brereton, St. Philip.

There were no BCA competitions in 2021 because of the covid-19 pandemic.

SCORECARD

LORDS

Mario Boyce c Davis b Nurse 0 (4 balls)

Kemar Goddard run out (Nurse) 32 (23 balls, 4×4, 1×6)

Daveion Roach c Ross b Archer 21 (20 balls, 3×4)

+Shonquono Stanford lbw b Archer 4 (5 balls)

Khalid Springer lbw b Nurse 6 (12 balls)

Juvall Hinds c Hinds b Rollins 7 (20 balls)

Justin Strickland c sub (Alleyne) b Davis 18 (15 balls, 3×4)

*Andre Brathwaite lbw b Davis 2 (8 balls)

Damian Hinds b Ross 8 (8 balls, 1×4)

Samuel Skeete not out 4 (1 ball, 1×4)

Shaquille Farley lbw b Ross 0 (1 ball)

Extras (b1, lb3, w13) 17

TOTAL (all out, 19.2 overs) 119

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Boyce, 0.4 ov), 2-58 (Roach, 7), 3-60 (Goddard, 7.5), 4-65 (Stanford, 8.5), 5-84 (Hinds, 13.2), 6-85 (Springer, 14.3), 7-97 (Brathwaite, 16.5), 8-115 (Strickland, 18.5), 9-119 (Hinds, 19.1), 10-119 (Farley, 19.2).

Bowling: Sadiki Nurse 4-1-12-2 (w5), Andrew Lythcott 1-0-12-0, Rashoun Archer 4-0-37-2 (w2), Kai Rollins 4-0-15-1 (w2), Ronnico Ross 3.2-0-15-2 (w1), Lamar Springer 1-0-8-0 (w2), Elon Davis 2-0-16-2 (w1).

WINDWARD

+Alan Branch not out 48 (34 balls, 2×4, 4×6)

Glenmar Hinds b Boyce 52 (40 balls, 5×4, 4×6)

Elon Davis c Goddard b Hinds 10 (22 balls)

Ronnico Ross not out 1 (5 balls)

Extras (lb2, w7) 9

TOTAL (2 wks, 16.5 overs) 120

Did not bat: *Lamar Springer, Rashoun Archer, Sadiki Nurse, Chris St. Hill, Andrew Lythcott, Kai Rollins, Micah Stuart.

Fall of wickets: 1-68 (Hinds, 8.3 ov), 2-116 (Davis, 15.4).

Bowling: Samuel Skeete 3-0-25-0 (w2), Damian Hinds 2-0-13-0, Khalid Springer 4-0-15-0, Shaquille Farley 1.5-0-18-0 (w4), Mario Boyce 3-0-21-1, Juvall Hinds 2-1-6-1 (w1), Justin Strickland 1-0-20-0.

Toss: Windward.

Player Of The Match: Sadiki Nurse.

Umpires: Ernie Fields, Junior Grimes.

Reserve Umpire: Lionel Williams.

Match Referee: Denis Depeiza.

Scorers: Lydia Nurse (Windward), Carol-Ann Agard (Lords), Leslay Prescod (BCA).

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Windward capture BCA Division 2 T20 Plate

Bridgetown, Barbados, June 10 – (www.barbadoscricket.org) – Windward captured the 2023 BCA Division 2 Twenty20 Plate with an eight-wicket win over Lords in the Final at Desmond Haynes Oval today.

Summarised scores:

Lords 119 all out (19.2 overs) (Kemar Goddard 32, Daveion Roach 21, Justin Strickland 18; Sadiki Nurse 2-12, Ronnico Ross 2-15, Elon Davis 2-16, Rashoun Archer 2-37).

Windward 120-2 (16.5 overs) (Glenmar Hinds 52 – 40 balls, 5 fours, 4 sixes; Alan Branch 48 not out – 34 balls, 2 fours, 4 sixes; Elon Davis 10).