Windies sail to victory over Netherlands

West Indies 239 for 6 (Taitt 47, King 45, Lewis 45*) beat Netherlands 180 for 6 (Tanke 61) by 59 runs
Scorecard

West Indies claimed a comfortable 56-run win over Netherlands in the first ODI in Utrecht to maintain their unbeaten run in their European tour to prepare for the World Cup.

Chedean Nation, standing in for the unwell Nadine George, chose to bat first, after which West Indies lost Merrisa Aguilleira for no score off a run-out from Annemarie Tanke. But Stacy-Ann King blitzed 45 off 42 balls to deny the home side any further advantage. However, the offspinner Caroline de Fouwm struck twice to push West Indies to 74 for 3. West Indies stuttered further when they lost Nation and Deandra Dottin (25 off 19) for the addition of eight runs: Nation was run out by Miranda Veringmeier, the 15-year old, while Dottin was stumped off Tanke.

West Indies were in a spot of bother at 116 for 5, but Charlene Taitt and Debbie Ann Lewis added 88 to get them back on track. Lewis made the most of her dropped catch by Carlijn de Groot when she was only on 4, going on to score an unbeaten 44 , while Taitt scored 47 before giving de Fouw her third wicket. Lee-Ann Kirby then picked up the pace in the end overs with an unbeaten 21 off 24 as West Indies posted a challenging 239 for 6.

Netherland's, though, did not muster much in the chase. They crawled to 29 for 2 in the 11th over, by which time Shakera Selman dismissed de Groot (4) and Violet Wattenberg (19). Carolien Salomons was involved in two 39-run stands, one with Helmien Rambaldo and the other with Tanke, before she fell for 36 off 80 balls. With the result having become a foregone conclusion, Tanke went on the attack, bringing up her maiden fifty before falling for 61. Jacqueline Pashley made her way to an unbeaten 19 by the 50th over.

With this win, which came a day after their triumph in the first of two Twenty20s, West Indies have the advantage going into the remaining three ODIs. They come to Netherlands on the back a 2-0 win over Ireland in a three-match series, and a win in the one-off Twenty20.