At Arouca - Jamaica were in a strong position to get past the Windward Islands when rain brought play to an end. The Windwards batted first and were restricted to 146 for 9 off their allotted 50 overs. Jamaica in reply were 38 for 1 after 7 overs with skipper Ricardo Powell 23no.
Day 2: Reggae rains on Windwards parade
By Garth Wattley
IT was 3.23 p.m. and youthful emotion was draped all over Squadron ground.
Jubilant Jamaican players raced to the pitch and hoisted the beaming Kamal Dennis onto their shoulders, carrying him back to the pavilion like a conquering hero.
That hollering bunch was followed, eventually, by the straggling, silent Windward Islands crew.
When Dennis smacked the six that snatched expected victory from their grasp, many of them sank to the ground, disbelief displacing their disappointment. And for some-skipper Kevil George and heart-and-soul pacer Danny Harris, the tears flowed.
A tense hard-fought, riveting game had been lost by two wickets with just three balls to spare. And possibly lost too was the best chance for a place in the NorTel semifinals. But there really was no loser on this July 27.
A day eternally, significantly sombre in Triniland was made gloomier by the unceasing battle of sun and rain. But it could not dampen the spirits of the Under-19 combatants.
There was no crowd at sleepy Squadron to watch them at play. And the complexities prompted by the rain made it a contest of stops and starts.
But all that was purely incidental once the final over began. Chasing a revised target of 136 in 42 overs, the Jamaicans had started at 38 for 1, slumped to 85 for 7, steadied at 129 for 8 heading into the final over.
Dennis (19 n.o.), who had played an admirable second-fiddle to the now-departed Matthew Sinclair (22), was taking strike to Stephen ``Biggie'' John.
He could do nothing with the big pacer's accurate first ball. But ball two, he sliced, high and to the right of backward point and he and Jermaine Lawson scrambled two.
Five still needed. But ``Max'' was thinking in even numbers. And when ``Biggie'' pitched up, the leftie let fly, high and hard over the vacant long-on boundary.
Reggae was raging now. But it had been a quite different story at the start.
Mid-morning sunshine and a kerosene blaze eventually dried the damp pitch to allow a start around 11.30 am. But by lunch at one o'clock, the game had changed.
Sharp Windwards outfielding and tight bowling combined to leave Jamaica on 80 for 5 in 26 overs.
George and his men, knowing time was of the essence, struck early. By the end of his first over, left-arm spinner Hezron Lawrence had seen opener Rayon Smith and skipper Ricardo Powell back in the pavilion.
His fourth ball beat Smith's indisciplined swing and crashed into his stumps. And off the fifth, Powell failed to beat Kenroy Martin's sharp throw from the covers as he ran on a Marlon Samuels push.
Samuels himself failed to take up the slack, tentatively snicking Camilus Alexander into wicketkeeper Kelon George's gloves.
And Jamaican lunch was made even more unpalatable when at 78, Devon Smith's direct throw from point put paid to Tamar Lambert.
Things were no better by the time of the afternoon rain interruption. At 98 for 7 in the 35th, the Windwards were winners, according to the calculators.
But the break spurred a reggae revival.
With renewed urgency, Sinclair and Dennis pressured the Windwards with quick singles. They pushed their partnership to a priceless 42 before captain George took charge.
He struck with two overs left, Harris at mid-on holding onto Sinclair's miscued pull.
Dejectedly, Sinclair left the field, fearing he had undone his own good work.
But Dennis soon converted that dejection into delight, letting the reggae rule again.