Windward Islands go through to Red Stripe Bowl final

The Windward Islands defeated Jamaica by four wickets in the second semi-final of the Red Stripe Bowl at Sabina Park, Kingston, on Saturday. They will meet the Leeward Islands in the final today.

This semi-final followed the trend of the first, on Friday, which was won by the Leeward Islands by thirteen runs. Again it was very evident that even though there were eleven international players in the Jamaican and the Windward Island teams, the batting, especially from Jamaica, was as atrocious as it had been on Friday when no less than 13 West Indian internationals were playing.

Jamaica, led by the West Indies captain, Jimmy Adams, won the toss and elected to bat first on a wearing pitch, the same used in the first semi-final on Friday. That decision was soon to backfire. Jamaica were immediately in serious trouble, after seven overs, wobbling at 9-3. The Windwards had been very positive, with their fast bowlers Nixon McLean and Cameron Cuffy, both West Indian Test players, bowling very quickly and accurately indeed.

They had made Jamaica struggle for every run gained, getting two wickets with the Jamaica total on four. Opener Keith Hibbert got a fast leg-cutter from Nixon McLean, the resulting edge gleefully taken by wicket-keeper Junior Murray, another West Indian player. Hibbert made two. Murray also featured in the second dismissal, taking a sharp chance as Cuffy deceived Brenton Parchment with both pace and bounce. Parchment managed one. Captain Jimmy Adams, the big fish, was next to go, with the score on nine, getting a wonderful leg-cutter from McLean which he could only touch to wicket-keeper Murray.

Jamaica did fight back somewhat. At one stage, they had progressed to 74-4 in the 26th over. Wavell Hinds, the West Indies number three batsman, was next out after a patient 15, caught by Romel Currency at square-leg when he tried to lift McNeil Morgan over the top. Marlon Samuels, a real senior West Indian team prospect, was playing beautifully then, even though he was badly dropped by Darnley Joseph at slip, when 16. Hinds and Marlon Samuels had put on 46 very valuable runs for the 4th wicket in 14 overs.

Marlon Samuels and his older brother, Robert, who has also played Test cricket for the West Indies, took the score to 96 in the 31st over, before Robert tried to lift the Windward islands captain, leg-spinner Rawl Lewis, out of the ground. He was easily caught by Cuffy at long-off. By over 37, it was 125-6 when Laurie Williams mis-read Lewis's leg-break, the thin edge accepted by wicket-keeper Murray; Williams out for 16.

After batting with some aplomb, hitting five crisp boundaries, Marlon Samuels was seventh man out for a well made 52, when he tried to hit off-spinner Shane Shillingford out of the ground, only to be caught by Devon Smith at square leg. Soon it was 155-8, in over 43, when Franklyn Rose, after trying a few lusty blows, holed out to Shillingford at long-on from McLean's bowling; Rose out for nine. Nehemiah Perry, after playing well for 18, also tried to lash a McLean full toss over the top, the ball only getting as far as Rawl Lewis at mid-wicket; Jamaica 170-9 in 47 overs.

Some intelligent batting from the last pair, Denville McKenzie and Ryan Cunningham saw Jamaica to 187 in their 50 overs, but even with the disastrous start that they had, Jamaica, and the spectators, should have been very disappointed not to have gotten to at least 200 runs.

Nixon McLean, much improved, bowling exceptionally straight and quickly, was the Windward Islands best bowler, with 4-28 from his 10 overs. With the Windward Islands needing only 3.76 runs per over to win the game, another semi-final upset was very possible.

The Windward Islands, through their very young and inexperienced opening batsmen, gave themselves and early chance at getting to their first final for some time. Both Devon Smith, who is still a West Indies Youth team player, and Romel Currency, a Windward Islands Youth representative, looked at home at the crease even though Jamaica's bowling was spearheaded by West Indies discard, Franklyn Rose.

Currency was actually bowled by an inswinging yorker delivered by Denville Mackenzie before he had scored, but it was a no-ball. Currency and Smith then treated the large Saturday crowd to a lovely array of strokes as they pushed the score to 45 in 13 overs. Then, when it looked as if they would embarrass their more illustrious opponents, Smith slapped a rank long-hop, bowled by off-spinner Nehemiah Perry, straight to McKenzie at cover point. Smith out for 25.

Two overs later, in the 15th, veteran Darnley Joseph, after spanking Perry for a nice four through extra cover, misread the line of a drifter from the same bowler and was easily out LBW. Joseph out for four; the Windward Islands 50-2.

Discarded West Indies wicket-keeper, Junior Murray, especially, and the very organized Currency played with a strange approach to take the score to 94 before the 3rd wicket was lost. Murray had decided to try to hit all of the bowlers into the stands. He actually succeeded in hitting Perry almost over the giant George Headley stand at the southern end of Sabina Park for a massive six before his young, ambitious partner was dismissed. Smith drove at leg-spinner Cunningham without getting to the pitch of the delivery and Jimmy Adams, at short extra-cover, took a tumbling catch to keep his team in the game. Currency out for a very entertaining 30, Windward Islands 94-3 in over 29.

John Eugene, who has been out of the Windward Islands team for a spell, joined Murray and the aggressive attitude from the Windwards continued, with Murray hitting consecutive boundaries off West Indies One Day player Laurie Williams. The pair soon rattled up 39, taking the score to 133, in the 35th over, when Jimmy Adams deceived Junior Murray, caught him in two minds, thankfully accepting the caught and bowled chance. Murray out for 41.

Another Windward Islands veteran, the aggressive Roy Marshall, joined Eugene and the pair continued to play sensibly, rotating the strike well with singles, perhaps sensing that their team could pull off an upset by beating Jamaica. With ten overs remaining, the Windward Islands, at 144-4, needed 44 runs to win, with six wickets in hand.

Then, with the score on 166, in over 45, Roy Marshall decided that he could hit Jimmy Adams out of the ground, only for Franklyn Rose to do a wonderful job running from deep extra cover to get to long off and take a great catch. Marshall made 13 and featured in a good partnership of 33 with Eugene. That dismissal gave Jamaica a chance, even though the Windward Islands only needed 21 with five overs remaining.

Windward Islands captain Rawl Lewis joined Eugene and, again taking the singles well, and slugging too; Lewis hit Adams over mid-wicket for six; they took the score to 183 before Lewis was well caught and bowled by Marlon Samuels, a much harder catch than the one he had dropped in the previous over. Eugene was even dropped, badly, by Marlon Samuels, from a skier, at short mid-wicket. Lewis had made 12.

Nixon McLean joined the unflappable Eugene to see the game to the end and victory for the Windward Islands, but not before Robert Samuels, this time, had dropped McLean on the long on boundary from another sitter. The resulting boundary brought the scores level. John Eugene then smacked Adams to the cover boundary for the winning score, to finish with 44 not out. The Windward Islands, finally, 191-6 in the 49th over, winning by 4 wickets. Only Nehemiah Perry, with 2 wickets, looked a good bowler for Jamaica.

The Jamaicans did one thing better than the Windward Islanders, if it can be called that. The Jamaican fielding was the poorest seen for the weekend, even poorer than the efforts put out by the Windwards. Now, the Windward Islands, so often the also-rans of West Indies cricket, will meet the Leeward Islands in the final on Sunday.