Jamaica beat Barbados to enter Busta International final

The Joy and celebration that engulfed the Barbados camp last week Monday were transformed into disconsolation and despair yesterday after another shameful batting display that led to the season's most lopsided whipping.

Jamaica, dethroned Busta Cup champions, marched into the Busta International Shield final after they embarrassed Barbados' batsmen for the second straight day en route to a massive triumph by 234 runs.

No team has been beaten so soundly in the tournament's 30 matches.

The previous most convincing win was England A's 224-run victory over West Indies "B" in the opening round.

Set an almost impossible target of 417 from a minimum 84 overs after Jamaica declared 20 minutes into the morning, Barbados again could not cope with Gareth Breese's off-spin and collapsed inside 68 overs for 182.

It was the first time that Barbados, who were crowned Busta Cup champions eight days ago, lost for the season, and, according to team coach Hendy Springer, it was bound to happen at some stage.

"We have been lucky enough that it has happened after we had something from the season which is the Busta Cup," Springer said.

"This is not a good way to end the season. It makes guys look at themselves and think, `I would have rather done it a lot better', but with all due respect, kudos to Jamaica because they played an exceptionally good game."

Barbados' batting was also a letdown in the first innings when their 161 was their lowest total of the season.

"We did not score enough runs. We had two opportunities to bat, but we didn't," Springer said.

"I said from the first game that one of the major concerns was that we were not getting enough runs."

The hosts' eventual total yesterday was beefed up by a ninth-wicket half-century stand between Hendy Bryan and Ryan Austin after Breese did the damage in mid-afternoon.

The diminutive Breese took a career-best seven for 60 to end with a match-haul of ten for 96.

He clearly enjoys bowling against Barbados and of his 33 wickets this season, 19 have been taken at Kensington.

Given the length of time Barbados needed to bat to save the match, they were always going to be under pressure, but hardly anyone would have predicted that the end would come 25 minutes after tea.

They went to lunch at 64 for two, but half-hour before tea they were in shambles at 107 for eight.

Barbados might say that a few of the batsmen were victims of contentious umpiring decisions, but it no was excuse.