Windward Islands lift Red Stripe Bowl

Windward Islands cricket is slowly coming of age. Though they have been the cinderellas of the West Indies in the past, they came away winners yesterday of the Red Stripe Bowl, defeating the Leeward Islands by five wickets in the Final at Sabina Park, Kingston. It's only the second time the Windwards have won the senior West Indies one-day competition, and the first since 1989. It caps a fine year in which the Windward Islands Under-19 team, with great coaching input from former West Indies batsman Gus Logie, won the regional youth championships.

For want of better words, the batting display of the Leeward Islands was diabolically poor. As in both semi-finals, there was overwhelming evidence of the malaise in West Indies cricket.

Leeward Islands started well on the wearing pitch, which had been used for three consecutive games. After experiencing Nairobi, Kenya, where five pitches were used for ten one-day games, one has to wonder what is going on with West Indian cricket. This pitch could not ensure good batting if it was being used for three consecutive complete matches. But the Leeward Islands batting debacle had nothing to do with the pitch.

By the 19th over, they'd reached 61, with discarded West Indies opener, Stuart Williams, and the hard-hitting Wilden Cornwall going well. They had survived a few good shouts for LBW and Cornwall was dropped, a relatively easy return catch, by left-arm medium pacer Kenroy Peters, who had come into the side to replace McNeil Morgan, who was injured in the semi-final against Jamaica on Saturday.

From 61-0 in over 19, the Leewards Islands disintegrated in the face of some good but not really penetrative Windward Islands bowling. The wounds to the Leewards were mostly self-inflicted.

Stuart Williams (23) essayed his way down the pitch to orthodox leg-spinner Roy Marshall, missed, and was stumped by wicket-keeper Junior Murray, who has had a great series. Leeward Islands 61-1 in over 19.

Sylvester Joseph (1), who has produced nothing of note since playing a few one day games earlier this year for the senior West Indies team, was soon caught at backward square leg, by John Eugene, trying to sweep Peters. 71-2 in over 22.

Keith Arthurton, a veteran, then swiped at fast bowler Nixon McLean and missed; bowled for five; 85-3 in 25 overs. That became 95-4, in over 32, when Renako Morton, on one, was easily caught at backward square leg, by Nixon McLean, trying to sweep off-spinner Shane Shillingford.

Dave Joseph, a shadow of the batsman who played against Australia in Tests in 1999, also made only one. He played down the wrong line to be well caught by Marshall, at slip, from the bowling of Rawl Lewis; 96-5 from 33 overs.

It was 104-6, in 35th over, when opener Wilden Cornwall, after a well-made 53, with only three boundaries, finally succumbed to ambition, lashing out at Rawl Lewis, only to be easily caught on the long-off boundary by Nixon McLean.

Carl Tuckett, on one, tried to hit his way out of trouble, holing out to extra cover where Devon Smith took a wonderful diving catch. The bowler was again Windward Islands captain Rawl Lewis; 109-7.

That the Leeward Islands got to 163 was due to their captain, Ridley Jacobs, who, with Anthony Lake, put on 37 useful runs for the 8th wicket, before they confused each other going for a quick run, Jacobs eventually losing the battle to John Eugene's stump-hitting throw from the covers. Jacobs run out for 28; the Leeward Islands 146-8 in over 47.

Anthony Lake and Kerry Jeremy elongated the total to the eventual 163-8 in 50 overs, with Lake running sensibly for his 21 not out. Jeremy remained not out 5.

Rawl Lewis, using himself as the sixth bowler, was easily the best, getting 3-31 from his 10 overs. The Leeward Islands batted so badly that Nixon McLean and Cameron Cuffy, the Windward Islands spearheads, were only used for a collective 14 of their allotted 20 overs, allowing only 34 runs. It was a dominant performance from the Windward Islands, coupled with some truly ordinary batting from the Leeward Islands.

As they had done against Jamaica, the Windward Islands openers, Devon Smith and Romel Currency, set a modest 164 to win, started confidently and aggressively. They had taken everything that the Leeward Islands could throw at them, and had proceeded to 32 in the tenth over, when Smith (10) played very loosely to a short off-break from Anthony Lake, the ball hitting the bat before it cannoned into the stumps.

Romel Currency continued to play well, as he had done for the entire competition, until he tried to drive off-spinner Lake through cover, Renako Morton taking a good running catch. Currency out for 26; Windward Islands 46-2 in 16 overs.

Darnley Joseph and Junior Murray only added another nine runs before Murray drove ferociously at Lake, the ball going straight, and quickly, to Morton at cover. Joseph decided he could get a single and ran more than half of the length of the pitch. Murray never moved and Joseph never made his ground at the non-striker's end. Joseph had made 5.

Murray and the enterprising John Eugene, who made 41 and 44 not out respectively in the semi-final win against Jamaica, came together and continued their good form. They took the score to 86 with some good running between the wickets, and aggressive shots too, before Eugene tried to loft Lake, who was bowling very well; only to be caught and bowled. Eugene out for 13, Windward Islands 86-4.

Alas for the Windward Islands, Murray did not last as long as they would have liked. He drove to mid-on and started running. Dave Joseph, at that position, with one movement, fielded and returned the ball to the non-striker's end, hitting the stumps directly. Murray made 30.

Windward Islands captain Rawl Lewis joined Marshall and they immediately understood their role; get the required runs in singles. With 13 overs left, they needed only 33 to win. Not only did they frustrate the Leeward Islanders with singles, but played some wonderful strokes too, Rawl Lewis driving medium pacer Wilden Cornwall through extra cover for four, for the "shot of the day." Marshall soon followed suit, slashing Kerry Jeremy for another four through cover point.

With 10 overs left to be completed, the Windward Islands needed 20 runs to win with 5 wickets still in hand.

They came with 7.1 overs to spare, when Marshall drove Jeremy through mid-off for four. Marshall ended up with 36 and his captain Rawl Lewis, elated at the end, finished with a well-made 23. The Windward Islands had won by five wickets.

The final result justified the cricket played over the weekend. Rawl Lewis and his guys emulated their Under-19 team and played the best cricket of the weekend. Finally, with all of the work put in by the Windward Islands Cricket Board, and their players too, they are coming of age. They deserve the victory in the 2000 Red Stripe Bowl.