BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC: Jamaica crowned themselves Women’s Super50 Cup champions with a game to spare when they pulled off an edgy three-wicket victory over Windward Islands in the penultimate round here Monday.
Asked to chase a tricky 176 at St Paul’s Sports Complex, Jamaica overhauled their target at the start of the 37th over, with West Indies batsman Rashada Williams top-scoring with 72 off 101 balls at the top of the order.
Her West Indies teammates Natasha McLean (50) and Chedean Nation (29) produced crucial knocks as Jamaica remained unbeaten in the tournament with their fourth consecutive victory.
Earlier, Windward Islands gathered 175 for nine in a contest reduced to 45 overs per side. 41-year-old Pearl Etienne rolled back the years with a top score of 58 off 75 balls, and Jannelia Glasgow (38) and captain Afy Fletcher (31) played supporting roles.
The innings were highlighted by a final over hat-trick from Chinelle Henry, who finished with superb figures of six for 31 with her medium pace.
She got Glasgow to sky the third ball to cover and hit Earnisha Fontaine in front with the next ball before removing Amiah Gilbert’s leg stump with the last ball of the innings.
Choosing to bat first, the Windwards slumped to 69 for five before Etienne and Glasgow combined in a fruitful 87-run, sixth-wicket stand to repair the damage.
In reply, Keneshia Ferron fell cheaply for two in the third over, lbw to Etienne’s seam, with six runs on the board, but Williams and Nation put on 46 for the second wicket to stabilize the Jamaican run chase.
When Jamaica slipped to 61 for three in the 13th over, the experienced Williams took responsibility for the innings by anchoring an excellent 93-run, fourth-wicket partnership with McLean.
While Williams counted seven fours and a six, McLean thumped three fours and two sixes in a run-a-ball fifty.
The contest became nervy when another three wickets fell for 19 runs, but Jamaica held their nerve to get home safely.
Meanwhile, Guyana and Barbados posted their third wins to keep Trinidad and Tobago and Leeward Islands winless.
At Conaree Sports Club, Guyana beat T&T by 61 runs, West Indies vice-captain Shemaine Campbelle top-scoring with 52 to get the winners up to 156 for eight off their 50 overs.
Campbell struck four fours in an 81-ball knock, putting on 69 for the third wicket with Shabika Gajnabi (33) to pull the innings around from 31 for two in the 14th over.
Twenty-year-old off-spinner Ashmini Munisar then wrecked the Trinidad and Tobago innings with a spell of five for 15, sending the innings crashing for 95 all out off 42 overs.
At Warner Park, Barbados comfortably chased down a challenging 256 to beat the Leeward Islands by five wickets with 22 balls to spare, left-hander Kyshona Knight top-scoring with a composed unbeaten 88 off 107 deliveries and Aaliyah Alleyne lashing a breezy 59 off 55 balls.
Barbados found themselves tottering on 92 for four in the 21st over despite opener Kycia Knight’s 42 off 54 deliveries, but Kyshona joined with Alleyne in an excellent 152-run, fifth-wicket partnership that ended the game as a contest.
Kyshona struck nine fours and Alleyne eight.
Leewards had earlier posted an impressive 255 for five off their 50 overs, with Shawnisha Hector (56), captain Amanda Edwards (55 not out), and Divya Saxena (51) all carving out half-centuries.
Jahzara Claxton, 17, missed out on one when she belted 46 off 74 balls.
Leewards lost an early wicket to be ten for one in the third over, but Hector added 101 for the second wicket with Saxena before Edwards and Claxton posted a further 94 for the fifth wicket.
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