Samuels leads Jamaica to tight win

Jamaica opened their account in the Caribbean T20 with a tight win over Combined Campuses and Colleges in Antigua. CCC, after choosing to bat, managed a competitive 131 for 9, thanks to two individual contributions amid what would have otherwise qualified as a batting failure. Opener Chadwick Walton guided the innings with 66 off 59 balls, including four fours and five sixes. He was supported in a 92-run third-wicket stand by Kyle Hope. However, when Hope fell, CCC collapsed, losing seven wickets in quick time but managed 34 runs in 25 balls in that period. For Jamaica, Krishmar Santokie picked up four wickets and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller chipped in with three.

In the chase, it was Marlon Samuels who took centrestage as the batting around him struggled. Wickets fell at a steady pace but Samuels held firm, unbeaten on 66 in 52 balls and leading his side to victory in the final over with three balls to spare. A collective bowling effort from CCC had reduced Jamaica to 106 for 8 at one stage in 18.1 overs, but Samuels, in the company of Miller, who at No.8, faced just 2 balls, saw his team through. The next 27 runs came off just eight balls, and Samuels finished with five sixes.

Sussex thrashed Netherlands in Antigua by 34 runs to begin their Caribbean T20 campaign on a high. A five-wicket haul from Timm van der Gugten was in vain as the score Sussex managed after being asked to bat proved more than adequate. Wicketkeeper Ben Brown top-scored with 42 and Chris Nash, Joe Gatting and Naved Arif chipped in with small, but important, contributions to take their team to 125 for 9, continuing the trend of low scores in this tournament so far.

But it proved too much for Netherlands. There was no significant resistance from their batsmen barring captain Peter Borren, who made a quick 45; only one other batsman reached double-figures as the innings folded for 91. Arif picked up three wickets, and Chris Liddle and Michael Yardy earned two each. Each of the six bowlers employed by Sussex picked up at least a wicket each.