CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Ryan Austin and Kavesh Kantasingh continued to weave their web around regional batsmen, when they bowled Combined Campuses & Colleges to a 157-run victory over Windward Islands yesterday.
Austin captured five wickets for 31 runs from 11 overs, and Kantasingh took four for 58 from 15.2 overs, as Windwards were dismissed for 128 in their second innings about 25 minutes before the scheduled close on the third day of their semi-final at the Three Ws Oval.
Chasing 286 for victory, the Windwards’ trend of spineless batting in the second innings this season again dogged them, as Austin and Kantasingh also exploited the visitors’ well-documented weakness against quality spin bowling.
Keddy Lesporis, batting at four, struck eight boundaries in the top score of 55 from 71 balls in 1 ¾ hours for the Windwards, but no other batsman passed 20 before Kantasingh formalised the result, when he had Nelon Pascal caught at long-off for 12.
The result meant that CCC – the top team in the preliminary competition – will stage the Final of the competition, starting next Friday at the same venue.
Their opponents will be the more successful side in the other semi-final currently taking place between hosts Trinidad & Tobago and three-time defending champions Jamaica at the UWI Sports & Physical Education Complex.
CCC, starting the day on 85 for three, were dismissed for 202 in their second innings about 55 minutes after lunch.
Romel Currency used his intimate knowledge of the opposition to lead the way with 70, which followed up his first innings score of 95, Raymon Reifer made 24, and Kevin McClean added 22 to beef-up the CCC innings.
Dalton Polius had started the trend of the spinners’ dominance with five for 50 from 21.4 overs bowling his off-breaks, his captain Liam Sebastien collected three for 58 from 30 overs with his off-spin, and left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin grabbed two for 62 from 28 overs.
The Windwards’ chase started meekly, when they dawdled to 50 for three at the tea break, with Devon Smith and fellow Grenadian Andre Fletcher, their two most decorated batsmen, both out of the way.
Smith was caught at point off Kantasingh for seven just after hitting the bowler overhead for six, Fletcher was lbw on the backfoot to the same bowler for eight, and Johnson Charles was caught behind off Kevin McClean for one to leave Windwards 18 for three.
After the break, Windwards had the worst possible start, when Sebastien was caught behind down the leg-side off Kantasingh for 16 in the second over after the break to leave the visitors 51 for four.
But left-hander Kevin James joined Lesporis, and added some respectability to the Windwards’ total in a stand of 52 for the fifth wicket before he was caught at silly point off Austin for 12 looking for a drive.
His dismissal triggered the collapse that saw the Windwards losing their last six wickets for 25 runs in the space of 53 deliveries.
