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Kingston - The final result might suggest it was close. It was not.

For the vast majority of the afternoon it was evident that the Leeward Islands would beat Barbados and move into their fourth successive Red Stripe Bowl final.

In the end, the Leewards won by 13 runs, but the match lasted as long as it did because of a fighting last-wicket stand of 43 between Ryan Hinds and Corey Collymore.

Had the majority of Barbados’ batsmen approached their hardly demanding task of scoring 170 runs from 50 overs in the same-level headed manner, the result might have been reversed.

It was not as stunning as it was against the United States, but it was just an inexplicable in front of the very small crowd at Sabina Park. In contrast, there here hundreds of spectators at the neighbouring Emmett Park, venue for two schools’ football matches.

Barbados’ dream of winning their first regional limited-overs title in more than a decade was swiftly shattered by their ineffective running between the wickets and a couple of irresponsible strokes from senior batsmen.

"We did not bat well at all. The target was quite small, but we just lost our way,"said a dejected captain Sherwin Campbell after his side was eliminated at the semifinal stage for the third successive year.

Barbados were eventually all out for 156 with eight balls remaining.

"There were a couple of unnecessary run-outs in the middle and we just could not regain it from there,"Campbell said.

"One or two of our guys gave away their wickets in the middle and there was a bit of panic. When you lose so many early wickets, it is difficult to catch back up."

It would not be incorrect to say that Barbados went into self-destruct mode after an encouraging start.

They were approaching 50 for the solitary loss of Philo Wallace before Campbell’s extravagant slash against fast bowler Goldwyn Prince resulted in an edged catch to the keeper.

Before and after Campbell’s downfall, there were run-outs effected by Runako Morton that made Barbados’ task even more difficult.

Wallace seemed stunned when he was given out after Morton threw down the stumps from backward square, but there was little doubt that Dale Richards was short of his ground when Morton fired in the ball from third short-man.

Richards, preferred at No. 3 in place of Adrian Griffith, was looking the part, and his 31 was made with little difficulty.

Floyd Reifer fell to a low catch by wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs, but the way Courtney Browne and Ryan Hurley got out left a bit to be desired.

Browne was lbw attempting to sweep Keith Arthurton’s flat left-arm spin; Hurley was run out at the bowler’s end after Hinds turned his back on him thinking that Jacobs had effected a diving catch.

Barbados were then 97 for six, but Ian Bradshaw and Hendy Bryan, both of whom have often pulled the team out of crisis before, never got going and were victims to Wilden Cornwall’s bustling medium-pace.

When Bryan was out at 113 for nine in the 35th over, Barbados were virtually beaten, and it was too much for Hinds and Collymore to get another 57 runs.

With three overs left the target had been whittled down to 20 runs, but Arthurton limited Collymore to two in one over which prompted a wild swing from Hinds in the next.

The pitch, as has been the case throughout the tournament, was perhaps a little too slow for the shorter version of the game, but Barbados’ bowling was typically impeccable for the first 30 overs.

The Leewards, sent in, could not cope with the sluggish nature of the surface, nor could they negotiate the variation of pace from left-armer Bradshaw and the accuracy of Bryan.

Collymore sent down his best spell of the tournament in spite of an upset stomach that forced him to throw up early in the day.

It was Bradshaw and Bryan who made the early inroads after Antonio Mayers’ direct throw from cover ran out Stuart Williams in the seventh over.

Barbados were also indebted to the sure glovework of wicket-keeper Courtney Browne, who had a hand in four successive dismissals.

Last year’s tournament MVP Sylvester Joseph edged his second delivery from Bradshaw that was angled across him.

The next two were straightforward from the bowling of Bryan, who seldom strayed off line in his ten successive probing overs from which the Leewards scored 25 runs. Along the way, Dave Joseph miscued a pull and Morton edged one to the keeper as he pushed uncertainly forward.

The Leewards were 85 for six in the 28th over, but they were revived by forceful hitting from Carl Tuckett and valuable support from Ridley Jacobs in a seventh-wicket partnership of 69.

Tuckett smacked two sixes in his 39 off 50 balls and Jacobs made 44 before he was run out in the last over. Hinds and Mayers bore the brunt of the Leewards onslaught, conceding 60 runs in 11 overs between them.

© The Barbados Nation