Barbados: Police Move Ahead By Four Points (29 November 1998)

29 November 1998

Barbados: Police Move Ahead By Four Points

By Haydn Gill

Not even the prophets could have predicted what happened yesterday.

Front-runners Police, seemingly dead and buried, staged an unbelievable resurrection and completed an extra-ordinary victory over Big B Spartan.

By doing to, they maintained their four-point lead at the top ahead of the final series of matches.

When Spartan, chasing 156 in a minimum 37 overs, reached 131 for four with ample overs left, they needed just a further 25 runs to inflict a victory over the lawmen.

But, in high drama, veteran swing bowler Sylvester Louis and Stanton Proverbs combined to instigate a stunning collapse in which the home team lost their last six wickets for nine runs.

Everything happened so swiftly for Police, but Spartan batsmen Kerry Lucas and Livy Puckerin must take some of the blame for the home team's demise.

After a partnership of 55 in 10 overs, Puckerin cut a loose delivery straight to point. Spartan were still in control at that stage, but the dismissals of Rowehan Walcott and Lucas in the space of two runs opened the way for Police.

Walcott made 23 in quick time before Louis trapped him lbw and then Lucas, on 42, inexplicably tried to lift Proverbs' off-break over the long-off. When Alvin Campbell accepted the comfortable catch, Police knew they had a chance.

Spartan needed another 23 runs from 6.3 overs with four wickets, and Louis, the season's leading wicket-taker, promptly had Aaron Barker lbw.

From here, Proverbs and the reliable wicket-keeper Derwin Thompson did the rest.

Proverbs hurled himself to his right to catch Dave Marshall from his own bowling. The next ball, Dexter Toppin looked stunned to see umpire Vincent Bullen give him out to a keeper's catch. The Proverbs/Thompson combination ended the match when Hattian Graham edged to the 'keeper.

Earlier, Police rattled up 120 for five off 18 overs before asking Police to score at a rate of four runs an over.

That seemed a generous declaration, but in the end, Spartan were the ones who were generous to Police.

Source :: The Barbados Nation (https://www.nationnews.com/)