UWI pip Spartan with ball to spare

GILFORD MOORE smashed a four and a six off consecutive deliveries to lead Sagicor UWI to a hard-fought three-wicket victory over Super Centre Spartan with one ball to spare in a dramatic finish at Queen’s Park in yesterday’s opening round of the Sagicor Twenty20 Tournament.With three wickets in hand, UWI needed 12 off the final over, bowled by medium-pacer Dario Marshall.Jason Bennett picked up a fortuitous boundary to fine leg off the first delivery and eked out a single off the third, putting Moore on strike. Moore then slapped Marshall down to the backward point boundary and smashed him for a straight six to take UWIto 155 for seven in replyto Spartan’s 151 all out made off 19. 5 overs.Moore finished unbeaten on 14 off six deliveries, but the victory was initially set up through a composed knock of 45 off 43 balls by opener Kyle Corbin. Earlier, Spartan openers Rashidi Boucher (45 off 35 balls) and Andre Small (37 off 23 balls) blasted 81 off 9.1 oversbut the innings lacked the necessary acceleration at the end. –PHILIP HACKETTAT FOURSQUARE OVAL: Carlo Morris struck six fours and four sixes in 60 from 34 balls, and left-hander Kirk Gibson hit five fours and one six in 56 from 47 balls to set defending champions Carlton up for a 34-run victory over ESA Field Rum Pickwick.Carlton posted a challenging 177 for six from their allocation of 20 overs, and then dismissed Pickwick for 143 in 19.5 overs.Jared Gilkes smote seven fours and two sixes in the top score of 55 from 39 balls for Pickwick.  – ADRIEL RICHARDAT WILDEY: Dwayne Smith with a whirlwind unbeaten 78 and Jed Yearwood (50) powered Caribbean Lumber YMPC to a comprehensive eight-wicket win against LIME.The pair put on a robust second-wicket partnership of exactly 100 in 11.4 overs as YMPC reached their target of 163 with two overs to spare.Smith, who had chances at 19 and 50, faced 56 balls, striking four fours and six sixes. One of the sixes smashed into a car journeying along the ABC Highway. Yearwood smashed three fours and three  sixes from 36 balls.Earlier, LIME recovered from 60 for five, after losing three wickets in the seventh over from Yearwood,  to make a challenging 162 for six. Captain Courtney Browne blasted an unbeaten 71 with three fours and three sixes and with Cyprian Payne (23) pulled things around with a six-wicket stand of 85 in 10.2 overs.  – ELVIS HOWARDAT TRENTS: Despite the presence of Trinidad and Tobago and former West Indies all-rounder Rayad Emrit, CGI Maple still succumbed to defeat against Guardian General Barbados Youth.Emrit, on his local debut, took one wicket off his three overs and then contributed 23, but his efforts were not good enough as Maple, who lost their first three wickets for just three runs, went under by 17 runs.The Barbados Youth had scored 148 for eight off the allotted 20 overs and Maple, despite some lusty hitting towards the end by both Collis Worrell (34) and Yearwood (28), were restricted to 131 for eight.  – LOUIS HOLDERAT BAYFIELD: Opener Marvin Forde provided the anchor for a Wanderers’ total of 135 for three which eventually proved too much for BNB St. Catherine.Sent in to bat in overcast conditions, Wanderers were led bya solid 72 from Marvin Forde and workmanlike contributions from Nicholas Evans (25)and Renaldo Arthur (25) in a match reducedby one over after two rain interruptions.St Catherine never looked comfortable in their run chase, losing the wicket of Renaldo Kellman in the first over. The other opener Chad Proverbs (32) offered them hope, along with captain Kenroy Williams (29) and Michael Holder (27) but they required 17 in thefinal over. Despite a six from Holder off the first ball bowled by Diego Stuart, the bowler kept his nerves as the innings folded with two run outs. – WAYNE LEWISAT BANK HALL: ICBL Empire celebrated the opening day of the Week of Activities for their 96th anniversary by romping to a resounding 42-run victory while subjecting Old Brigand Dover to a rough welcome to top-level Twenty20 competition.Opening pair Jason Haynes (35) and Jason Hinds (66 off 53 balls, with five threes and five fours) laid the perfect platform for the home team’s total of 199-4, posting 50 in the first five overs. Alcindo Holder then unleashed a brutal assault in the middle overs, smashing 54 off 22 balls, with six threes, seven fours.Dover surrendered any hope of challenging the daunting target once their first four wickets fell for 21 inside four overs. Despite the spirited efforts of the lower order, they could only reach 157-8 in reply.  – WAYNE HOLDER  AT THE BREWERY: Antonio Mayers scored a solid 59 not out that gave Police the momentum to reach 183 for five in their allotted 20 overs against Banks.Mayers reached his 50 off 43 deliveries and struck five fours and three sixes overall. He got good support from Dion Broomes (39) and Sadiq Hill (26) and also shared a fourth-wicket stand of 68 with Brian Corbin (24).Banks lost a wicket in the first over but recovered to reach 95 for three due to a 63-run stand between Kofie Hurdle (48) and veteran Sherwin Campbell (34).Once Campbell fell, Banks’ batting declined and they folded for 129. – EVANS HINKSON