SCARBOROUGH, Tobago, CMC – Left-hander Evin Lewis struck his maiden regional one-day hundred as title Trinidad and Tobago Red Force put themselves on the verge of a semi-final spot with a dominant seven-wicket win over Jamaica Scorpions in the Regional Super50 here yesterday.
Playing at Shaw Park, Red Force restricted Scorpions to 176 all out off 49.4 overs and then easily chased down their target off 38.5 overs, with Lewis carving out 102 before retiring hurt.
He posted an entertaining 148 for the first wicket with Barbadian Kyle Hope who made 43, a partnership that killed off the game as a contest and negated any ideas Scorpions had of making a comeback.
Lewis faced 102 deliveries and smashed eight fours and six sixes while the right-handed Hope supported in a knock that came from 82 deliveries and included three fours.
Antiguan Devon Thomas had earlier top-scored with 70 while Brandon King got 32 as Scorpions rallied to their eventual score after slumping to 41 for four in the 19th over.
Jon Ros Jagessar hurt the innings with a spell of four for 32 while fellow off-spinner Narsingh Deonarine claimed three for 34.
The victory ensured Red Force remained unbeaten and it stretched their lead at the top of Group A where they sit with 17 points.
Scorpions remained second on ten points with third placed Barbados Pride poised to narrow the gap once they beat ICC Americas in the other Group A encounter on Wednesday.
Opting to bat first, Scorpions stumbled and stuttered as Deonarine wrecked the top-order with an incisive spell, accounting for captain John Campbell (17), West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood (10) and the in-form Andre McCarthy (6).
Thomas then engineered two partnerships to rescue the innings, adding 44 for the fifth wicket with King and a further 65 for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Aldaine Lewis, who made 14.
All told, the right-handed Thomas struck four fours and two sixes off 87 balls while King faced 50 balls and hit a four and a six.
King perished when he cut left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein to point in the 31st over and Thomas was seventh out in the 46th over via the run out route.
In reply, Lewis gave Red Force a flying start as the hosts took 20 runs from the very first over.
He then dominated, raising his half-century in the tenth over before bringing up three figures in the 27th over.
Lewis retired hurt soon after but by then Red Force were on the cusp of their fourth straight win and their second over Scorpions in the competition.
