LIME defeated Lucky HorseShoe Welches by nine runs in Sunday’s rescheduled semi-finalat Blenheim A to earn the rightto meet Melbourne A in the finalof the Barbados Cricket League (BCL) Twenty20 competitionin early December.
The first semi-final was not completed due to bad light as both teams had ended their 20 oversin a tied position and the SuperOver tiebreaker could not be bowled. The BCL complaints committee made a determination that the match would be replayed.
Batting first, LIME scored113 for eight from their 20 overs and then restricted Welchesto 104 for seven.
Ron Bates and Dave Estwick opened for LIME and the dashing Bates took 16 runs from thesecond over of the innings andthe first bowled by Ryan Nurse, who ironically representsLIME in the Barbados Cricket Association’s competitions.
In attempting to repeat thefeat in the fourth over, he wasout hit wicket when he lost his balance and his bat struck the stumps as he tried to pull a slowerdelivery from Nurse.
Estwick was joined by Bryan Johnson and together they carried the score to 75 before Estwick wentfor 21. Johnson, who top-scored with 30, added a further 19 with Renaldo Hyland (11) as LIME continued to lose wickets steadily before the 20 overs expired. Captain Nurse led the Welches’ bowling with three for 30.
In reply, Welches’ openers Damian Hoyte and Shawn Smith started purposefully, posting 27 in three overs before Smith, who is the brother of West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith, fell for a-run-aball 16, well caught insidethe mid-wicket boundaryby Wesley Straker.
After his dismissal, a seriesof run-outs (four), coupled with some tight spin bowling by the LIME bowlers, pushed Welcheson the back foot.
Nurse made a breezy 19 off 11 deliveries but it was not enoughto save his side as both he and the experienced Owen Birch fell by the run-out route. Needing 14 off the last over, Welches surrendered the match as they could only muster five runs.
Summarised scores:
LIME: 113-8 in 20 overs (B. Johnson 30,D. Estwick 21, R. Bates 20, R. Hyland 11;R. Nurse 3-30, R. Cyrus 2- 13).Welches 104–7 in 20 overs (R. Nurse 19,D. Hoyte 17, S. Smith 16).Man-of-the-match: Dave Estwick.
