Austin, Kantasingh bowl CCC to stunning victory

CAVE HILL, Barbados (CMC):

Ryan Austin and Kavesh Kantasingh continued to weave their web around regional batsmen, when they bowled Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) to a 157-run victory over Windward Islands yesterday.

Austin captured five wickets for 31 runs from 11 overs and Kantasingh took four for 58 from 15.2 overs as the Windwards were dismissed for 128 in their second innings, about 25 minutes before the scheduled close on the third day of their semi-final at the Three Ws Oval.

Chasing 286 for victory, the Windwards' trend of spineless batting in the second innings this season again dogged them, as Austin and Kantasingh also exploited the visitors' well-documented weakness against quality spin bowling.

Keddy Lesporis, batting at four, struck eight boundaries in the top score of 55 from 71 balls in 1 3/4 hours for the Windwards, but no other batsman passed 20 before Kantasingh formalised the result, when he had Nelon Pascal caught at long-off for 12.

COMPETITION FINAL

The result meant that CCC - the top team in the preliminary competition - will stage the final of the competition, starting next Friday at the same venue.

Their opponents will be the more successful side in the other semi-final currently taking place between hosts Trinidad & Tobago and three-time defending champions Jamaica, at the UWI Sports & Physical Education Complex.

CCC, starting the day on 85 for three, were dismissed for 202 in their second innings about 55 minutes after lunch.

Romel Currency used his intimate knowledge of the opposition to lead the way with 70, which followed up his first innings score of 95, Raymon Reifer made 24 and Kevin McClean added 22 to beef-up the CCC innings.

Dalton Polius had started the trend of the spinners' dominance with five for 50 from 21.4 overs bowling his off-breaks, his captain Liam Sebastien collected three for 58 from 30 overs with his off-spin and left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin grabbed two for 62 from 28 overs.

The Windwards' chase started meekly when they dawdled to 50 for three at the tea break, with Devon Smith and fellow Grenadian Andre Fletcher, their two most decorated batsmen, both out of the way.

CCC 1st Innings 256

WINDWARD ISLANDS 1st Innings 173

CCC 2nd Innings

(overnight 85 for three)

R. Currency c Lesporis b Mathurin 70O. Phillips lbw bSebastien 14S. Thomas c Charles bSebastien 5+K. Corbin lbw b Polius 31R. Reifer c Lesporis b Polius 23F. Reifer lbw b Polius 0C. Brathwaite cSebastien b Polius 0N. Bonner bSebastien 14K. McClean c Williams b Polius 22R. Austin c Fletcher b Mathurin 9K. Kantasingh not out 9Extras: (b2, lb3) 5

TOTAL: (all out, 86.4 overs) 202

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-34, 3-81, 4-119, 5-119, 6-119, 7-153, 8-161, 9-181

Bowling: Pascal 4-0-21-0, Williams 3-1-6-0, Sebastien 30-6-58-3, Mathurin 28-6-62-2, Polius 21.4-5-50-5

WINDWARD ISLANDS 2nd Innings (target: 286)

D. Smith c R. Reifer b Kantasingh 7J. Charles c Corbin b McClean 1A. Fletcher lbw b Kantasingh 8K. Lesporis cPhillips b Austin 55L. Sebastien c wkpr Corbin b Kantasingh 16K. James cPhillips b Austin 12+L. James c Brathwaite b Austin 8D. Polius c (sub) Wiggins b Austin 0G. Mathurin cPhillips b Austin 0N. Pascal c McClean b Kantasingh 12K. Williams not out 4Extras: (lb1, nb4) 5

TOTAL: (all out, 35.2 overs) 128

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-16, 3-18, 4-51, 5-103, 6-112, 7-112, 8-112, 9-117

Bowling: Kantasingh 15.2-3-58-4, McClean 6-2-22-1, Austin 11-3-31-5, Brathwaite 3-0-16-0

Result: CCC won by 157 runs

Series: CCC advance to the Final

Man of the Match: R. Currency (CCC)

Umpires: N. Duguid, C. Mack

Match referee: M. Jones

Reserve umpire: R. Brathwaite.