PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago Red Force capitalised on a limp batting effort from Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) Marooners to pull off an easy 41-run win, and cruise into the final of the NAGICO Super50 here late Friday.
Defending only 155 under the Duckworth/Lewis method in the rain-hit semi-final reduced to 32 overs per side, Red Force never looked like losing once they struck two early blows, and managed to restrict Marooners to 114 all out off 30.4 overs at Queen’s Park Oval.
They will now face Guyana Jaguars in Sunday’s final.
Opener Paul Palmer top scored with 37 and captain Chadwick Walton and Cassius Burton both hit 20, but the rest of the Marooners batting collapsed in the face of a disciplined Red Force attack.
Out-of-favour West Indies seamer Ravi Rampaul finished with three for 17 to earn Man-of-the-Match honours, leading a strong performance by Red Force’s senior bowlers which crippled the Marooners innings.
Seamer Dwayne Bravo claimed three for 22 while medium pacer Kevon Cooper and off-spinner Sunil Narine picked up two wickets apiece.
Their performance trumped that of rookie pacer Chris Powell who grabbed a five-wicket haul as Marooners restricted Red Force to 159 all out.
Sent in, the hosts never really got going and were bowled out in the final over.
Powell picked up five for 22 including the wickets of the Bravo brothers, Darren and Dwayne, in successive deliveries.
Jason Mohammed top scored with 48 from 56 balls while opener Jeremy Solozano gathered a breezy 37 from 52 deliveries.
Summarised Scores:
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 159 in 31.3 overs (Jason Mohammed 48, Jeremy Solozano 37, Darren Bravo 13, Sunil Narine 11; Christopher Powell 7-0-22-5, Keron Cottoy 2-22, Kyle Mayers 2-37). Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners 114 in 30.4 overs (Paul Palmer 37, Cassius Burton 20, Chadwick Walton 20; Ravi Rampaul 3-17, Dwayne Bravo 3-22, Kevon Cooper 2-13, Sunil Narine 2-20). Red Force won by 41 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis Method.
