Antigua and St Lucia Pro Teams Maintain Winning Ways

Beausejour, St Lucia - Stanford 20/20 Antigua and Barbuda and St Lucia Pro Teams maintained their winning ways in the four way clash at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia with comprehensive victories over the Stanford 20/20 Anguilla and Nevis Pro Teams.

In the first match at 2pm on Saturday, Antigua and Barbuda tallied 162 for 9 from 20 overs with the main contribution coming from Carl Simon who struck 43 from 23 deliveries with one four and three mighty sixes. Anguilla lost by 49 runs, ending with 113 for 5 from their 20 overs.

Captain Sylvester Joseph, who made 69 on Friday against Nevis, continued his good form by striking 31 from 30 deliveries with two fours and one maximum. Wilden Cornwall also made a handy 26 while Larry Joseph added 17 at the tail end of the innings.

Antigua lost Austin Richards (11) early up with the score on 17 but Sylvester Joseph and Cornwall put on a 61 run partnership but then a clatter of wickets saw Anguilla right back into the game but Simon and Larry Joseph executed some meaty blows as the innings closed to push the score beyond what Anguilla could manage. Seventeen year old Anguillan spinner Yannick Leonard turned in impressive figures of 3 for 22 while fast bowler Simba Bowen picked up two wickets for 19 runs.

Rondal Lake tried to keep the Anguillan run chase within reach with 44 from 45 deliveries but could not do enough against the restrictive Antiguan bowling. Off spinner Justin Athanaze bagged three wickets for 35 runs while all the other bowlers keep a steady off stump line just short of a full length on the slow pitch. Simon's four overs cost a mere 12 runs and he also picked up the wicket of the dangerous Chesney Hughes (9) to cap a man of the match performance.

Captain Lyndel Richardson gave support with 24 but the Anguillan batting, sorely missing Omari Banks (on Leeward Island duties), just could not keep up with the required run rate though they kept wickets in hand.
In the second game under lights Nevis won the toss and opted to bat but folded in 19.3 overs for 120 after a blistering start. St Lucia then entertained the small crowd with unrepentant batting closing off a seven wicket victory in 16.3 overs with Johnson Charles slamming an unbeaten 71 to become the tournament's highest individual scorer.

In three overs Kieran Powell (23) and Sherwin Woodley (19) put together 35 runs for Nevis but Powell's innings ended in a run out after he had hit four pugnacious fours and one six. The innings quickly took a nose dive to 6 for 55 with three wickets falling on that score.

Jamoy Pemberton, batting at number 8, top scored with 43 from 35 balls. He hit three sixes and two fours as Garey Mathurin and Sherlan Isidore picked up two wickets each.

St Lucia's run chase got off to a horrific start after they lost three early wickets early then opener Charles partnered with Sergio Fedee (30) to settle the issue in style. Charles pounced on the Nevis bowlers and his 71 needed only 48 deliveries as he hit a dozen fours and one six.

Ian Byron picked up two wickets for Nevis but the St Lucian batsmen were too calculatingly ruthless in their chase.
Today the two double losers, Anguilla and Nevis will play at 2pm for the third position while the two unbeaten teams, Antigua and Barbuda and host St Lucian will lock horns for the top spot and bring a close to the three day, six match event which pit the four Stanford 20/20 Pro Teams against each other.