Tony Becca
TITLE NUMBER one of the regional four-day Carib Beer cricket series has been won. Congratulations to Trinidad and Tobago on winning the cup and breaking the drought that had lasted for 21 years and good luck to them in their hunt for title number two - the Challenge Shield.
After starting the tournament, not, like Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana, as one of the three favourites, Trinidad and Tobago won the cup with a first innings lead over the Leeward Islands, victory over Jamaica, first innings lead over Guyana, and after sliding to 37 for seven, falling for 118 in their second innings and losing at home to the Windward Islands, with victory over Barbados.
Going into the final round, Trinidad and Tobago, on 24 points, found themselves in the unenviable position where, with Barbados on 36 points, they not only had to defeat Barbados in Barbados to win the title but they also had to ensure that the home team did not win a point.
In other words, in order to win the cup, Trinidad and Tobago could not afford to trail on first innings even if they won the match and, to their credit, they did not.
In a wonderful performance, they went into Barbados and, after losing the toss, after Barbados, needing only a draw or first innings lead even if they lost the match to win the cup, surprisingly sent them to bat. They scored 259.
DECISIVE MARGIN OF VICTORY
They then dismissed Barbados for 167, went on to win the match by a decisive margin of 264 runs, finished level with Barbados on 36 points and won the cup on the head-to-head result.
Unlike Jamaica, the double winners of the previous season who, with 12 Test players on call, played without spirit and finished last, Trinidad and Tobago, who finished fifth in 2004, third in 2005, and who were without their premiere batsman for most of the tournament, played with a lot of spirit.
They fought gallantly, they survived some tight situations, they shrugged off the embarrassing defeat against the Windward Islands and rose to the occasion in their victory over Barbados one match later, and they truly deserved their reward.
As they look back on their performance, as they toast their victory, Trinidad and Tobago should raise their glasses to each and every one of their players, but more so to captain Daren Ganga, who scored 358 runs with four 50s at an average of 51.14; to vice-captain Denesh Ramdin, who, apart from 17 dismissals, including four stumpings behind the stumps, scored 264 runs with one century and two half-centuries at an average of 44.00; to Brian Lara, who, in three innings, scored 254 runs, including an invaluable 153 which led them to first innings against Guyana, at an average of 84.66; to Lendl Simmons for his brilliant 115 in the second innings against Barbados; to pacer Ryan Emrit, who took 12 wickets; to all-rounder Richard Kelly, who scored 213 runs and took 11 wickets; and to pacer Mervyn Dillon, who, after he was dropped for the second, third and fourth matches, returned to take five for 36 against Barbados.
The number one performer for Trinidad and Tobago, however, was Dave Mohammed.
The spin bowler, the left-arm wrist spinner who continues to be overlooked by the West Indies selectors, took five wickets in an innings on three occasions - one time more than Rawl Lewis and two times more than any other bowler.
10-WICKET HAUL
Apart from his four for 56 and his five for 41 against Jamaica, with figures of six for 72 and five for 46 against the Windward Islands, he was the only bowler to take 10 wickets in a match.
His 28 wickets were the most in the tournament. Apart from the part-time bowlers who picked up a wicket or two for a few runs; apart from Dillon, who played in two matches; Daren Powell and Reon Griffith, who played in one match each, Mohammed's average of 16.17 represented the best in the tournament.
