Kieron Pollard
...man of the match.

PROVIDENCE, GUYANA - Trinidad and Tobago is now the most successful limited overs team in the Caribbean, winning their tenth title last night with a resounding 81-run victory over hosts Guyana, in the finals of the President’s Cup at Providence. Scores: T&T 286/6 (50overs) vs Guyana 205 all out (44.3overs). Set a mammoth 287 runs for victory after Darren Bravo stroked an attractive half-century at the top of the order and big-hitting Kieron smashed another in the middle, Guyana fell away badly to finish on 205 all out. The hosts, with an estimated crowd of 8,000 cheering them on, started their run chase badly, losing Siewnarine Chattergoon with only three runs on the board in the sixth over. From that point skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan and West Indies recruit Travis Dowlin got together and they batted Guyana right back into the match. They added 98 runs for the second wicket with some attractive shots either side of the wicket.

However, left arm unorthodox spinner Dave Mohammed sent back Dowlin for 41 and Pollard ripped out the Guyana middle order. Pollard removed Narsingh Deonarine (2), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (0) and Chris Barnwell (0) in quick succession to cripple the Guyanese. And when Sarwan ran himself out for 59—the game was over. Towards the end, Royston Crandon slammed 46 but it was all in vain. Pollard grabbed 3/37 to take the man of the match award. Batting first after winning the toss, the defending champions reached their total for the loss of six wickets, with Bravo hammering 76 off 106 balls and Pollard plundering 57 from 50 balls at the National Stadium at Providence. West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin unleashed a blazing cameo in the latter stages of the innings, slamming a frenetic, unbeaten 44 from 24 balls, to ensure T&T sustained their momentum. Hardly any bowler was spared and only off-spinner Royston Crandon with two for 62, managed to get among the wickets.

T&T menaced from the outset, with teenaged opener Adrian Barath striking a couple of hefty blows to get T&T away nicely. He had scored 18 of the 24 on the board when he perished to a loose shot off fast bowler Esuan Crandon in the fifth over, as Guyana hit back. It was to be Guyana’s last real look-in as opener Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo then added 47 for the second wicket, to consolidate the innings. The right-handed Simmons scored 31 from 46 balls with two fours while Darren Bravo cracked six fours and two sixes during his knock. When Simmons was run out by a smart piece of work from wicketkeeper Delbert Hicks at 71 for two in the 18th over, T&T’s batsmen put their feet on the accelerator as Guyana’s bowlers wilted. Captain Daren Ganga, whose 46 required 52 balls and included a four and a six, joined Darren Bravo to post a further 93 from 105 balls for the third wicket.

The Trinidadian skipper became Royston Crandon’s first wicket at 164 for three in the 35th but Darren Bravo and Pollard blasted 42 from 29 balls for the fourth wicket to up the tempo in the middle overs. Darren Bravo departed at 206 for four and his older brother Dwayne followed him cheaply for three 11 balls later at 215 for five but any thoughts Guyana had of restricting the Trinidadians were quickly dispersed. Striking the ball cleanly and powerfully, the strongly built Pollard clobbered two fours and three sixes while Ramdin reeled off two fours and four sixes, as T&T raised 69 from 50 balls in a scintillating end to the innings.