THERE WAS NO tie or Tante-Merle finish this time like Friday against the Combined Campuses and Colleges, as Barbados comfortably defeated the Windward Islands by 39 runs to secure a semi-final berth in the Caribbean Twenty20 at Kensington Oval last night.Sent in to bat, Man Of The Match Alcindo Holder, who hit 46 not out off 23 balls with five fours and three sixes, and Dwayne Smith, with three sixes in 24 off 15 deliveries, accelerated the scoring to push Barbados to a respectable total of 159 for six in their 20 overs following a slow start.In response, the Windwards were restricted to 120 for nine as lanky pacer Javon Searles, who replaced Kevin Stoute in the Barbados line-up, took four middle and lower order wickets for just 19 runs before a crowd of 4 500 spectators.Searles got good support from another rookie, off-spinner Ashley Nurse, who took the key wicket of Andre Fletcher who had threatened briefly with a breezy 33, studded with four fours and two sixes off 15 balls.Nurse also added the scalp of Liam Sebastien in another tidy four-over spell (4-0-23-2) to leave the Windwards in strife at 58 for four, before Searles settled the outcome by removing captain Darren Sammy (16), Craig Emmanuel (14), Shane Shillingford (0), and Gary Mathurin (12).Earlier, Dale Richards did the bulk of the scoring in the first six overs, hitting three fours and a six in making 29 off 23 balls in an opening stand of 36 with newcomer Jason Hinds, who struggled with the bat in his first T20 outing at this level.Hinds, who came in for an unwell Kirk Edwards, struggled to get the ball away, labouring over 23 balls for just ten runs, including facing a maiden from medium pacer Craig Emmanuel before he ran himself out at 56 for two at the halfway stage.Jonathan Carter, who also started slowly then swung leg-spinner Rawl Lewis for two sixes over midwicket and forward of square, but was bowled swinging at the first ball from off-spinner Shillingford for a run-a-ball 26.After captain Ryan Hinds, who came in at No. 4, was caught at long-on for just three off Emmanuel, who was then surprisingly removed from the attack after his first two overs cost four runs, Holder and Smith featured in a 64-run fifth-wicket stand in 5.1 overs to lift the tempo against a steady Windwards’ bowling attack.Smith pulled Shillingford over midwicket for sixes in consecutive overs while Holder, who was dropped at long-off by Mathurin, took a liking to pacer Nelon Pascal, smashing him over wide long-on for six and also hoisting him for a couple of boundaries.When Emmnanuel returned, Smith also savagely pulled his first ball for six but he came back strongly, having Smith caught behind, and also getting wicket-keeper Carlo Morris caught at the edge of the long-on boundary by Sebastien, who cleverly released the ball and caught it again while avoiding stepping on the ropes.Even though Johnson Charles forced pacer Kemar Roach out of the attack after just one over with a sliced six over thirdman and a pull for four, the Windwards didn’t get the start they needed as Ryan Hinds, who replaced Roach, removed the experienced Devon Smith with his second ball, while Charles was needlessly run out.Fletcher then drove Ryan Hinds for a four through the covers and pulled a short ball for six while also dispatching the off-spin of Hinds’ younger brother Jason, over wide long-on for a huge six in an over which cost 16 runs after the debutant had only conceded just four runs in his first two overs.But after Nurse trapped Fletcher on the boot for a clear lbw verdict and bowled Sebastien, followed by the dismissals of Lewis and Sammy, who played in the team as a batsman, the Windwards’ surrendered meekly even though Barbados muffed a couple of catches.
