ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):
TRINIDAD AND Tobago continued their stranglehold on Barbados when they defeated them by 46 runs yesterday to claim a semi-final place in the inaugural Stanford Twenty20 tournament.
Having set Barbados 143 to win from their 20 overs, the two-island republic dismissed their opponents for 96 in 18.2 overs.
Nicholas Ramjass captured three wickets for 14 runs from 3.2 overs and Kieran Pollard collected three for 17 from three overs to be the most successful bowlers for T&T.
Floyd Reifer top scored for Barbados with 26 from 29 balls that contained two fours and was supported by Jason Haynes whose 25 came from 28 balls and included four boundaries.
Given a platform of 69 for the first wicket from William Perkins and Mario Belcon, their two youngest and least experienced batsmen, T&T reached 142 for nine from their 20 overs.
Perkins hit five fours and one six in the top score of 36 that earned him the US $25,000 Man-of-the-Match award and Belcon struck four fours in 31 from 32 balls.
Ian Bradshaw was the pick of the Barbados bowlers with three for 25 from four overs and Fidel Edwards took two for 32 from his four overs.
Then Samuel Badree gave T&T the kind of start to their defence that they relished, when he had left-handed opener Martin Nurse adjudged lbw for four slogging across the line in the first over.
Things got worse for Barbados when Dale Richards was run out for seven in the fourth over jogging into the crease at the bowlers' end and failing to beat Ricardo Powell's direct hit.
This left Barbados on 17 for two, and Reifer and Haynes got things rolling for their side, but the T&T bowlers were tidy with their lines and lengths, and gained great support from their fielders to mount pressure on the batsmen.
Earlier, Perkins and Belcon gave their side a bright start when they put on 69 for the first wicket inside the first nine overs.
Both batsmen played with enterprise to the point of impetuosity, but got carried away in a spell when Barbados claimed five wickets for 16 runs from 22 balls.
T&T will meet Nevis in the semi-finals on August 10.
