Marooners crush Volcanoes to win opener

CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Kjorn Ottley’s half-century and veteran Ryan Hinds’s three-wicket haul proved enough for Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners to start the Regional Super50 with a 115-run thrashing of Windward Islands Volcanoes here yesterday.

Sent in at 3Ws Oval in the curtain-raiser of the tournament, Marooners were dismissed for 228 in the penultimate over, with Ottley top-scoring with 60, opener Kyle Corbin getting 44 and Hinds chipping in with 27.

West Indies limited overs specialist, Kesrick Williams, claimed four for 70 with his right-arm seam while left-arm spinner Larry Edward picked up two for 35.

In reply, Volcanoes were turned over for a paltry 113 off 29.3 overs, with tail-ender Delorn Johnson leading with 28, Kyle Mayers scoring 27 and Andre Fletcher getting 25.

Hinds led the Marooners attack with three for 22 to claim Man-of-the-Match honours while Yannick Ottley finished with two for six, with his left-arm spin.

Marooners were handed a solid start when Ottley and Corbin put on 94 for the first wicket.

The left-handed Ottley faced 89 balls and struck four fours and two sixes while the right-handed Corbin produced a brisk 55-ball knock, which included two fours and three sixes.

When Corbin fell in the 18th over, Ottley combined with young brother, Yannick (19) to keep the innings flowing. However, both brothers fell in the space of three balls in successive overs with the score on 130, leaving Hinds and Vikash Mahon (20) to rally the innings in a 42-run, fourth wicket stand.

The left-handed Hinds was busy in his 31-ball innings, striking four boundaries.

Left with a relatively straightforward run chase, Volcanoes lost West Indies batsman Johnson Charles to the second ball of the innings without a run on the board, and never recovered.

Hinds trapped him lbw and fast bowler Jermaine Levy also accounted for Devon Smith, also lbw without scoring in the following over, as Volcanoes limped to 14 for two. Fletcher threatened briefly in an 18-ball knock which included five fours before he was bowled by Hinds, and three wickets then fell for one run in the space of 12 deliveries, leaving Volcanoes in turmoil at 58 for seven in the 17th over.

Barbadian Mayers and Johnson combined in the best stand of the innings, as they put on 34 for the eighth wicket.

The left-handed Mayers faced 46 balls and counted four fours while Johnson belted a couple of fours and a six in a lively 31-ball knock.

Once the stand was broken, the resistance ended as the innings folded quickly.