Maiden hundred from captain Leon Johnson, plus last-over drama seals semi-final victory over Scorpions
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Leon Johnson led from the front with a composed, maiden List “A” hundred, but Guyana Jaguars required frantic, last-over heroics from Veerasammy Permaul to inch to a one-wicket victory over Jamaica Scorpions to qualify for the Grand Final of the 2018-19 Super50 Cup on Thursday here.
Johnson, the Jaguars captain, gathered 101 from 136 balls and shared 130 for the fourth wicket with fellow left-hander, Barbados-born all-rounder Raymon Reifer to get their side’s chase of 273 for victory back on track in the first semi-final played under the lights at Kensington Oval.
View full scorecard here: https://www.windiescricket.com/livepage/
The two WINDIES internationals revived the Jags from 70 for three in the 12th over, but Johnson was caught behind off his opposite number, veteran left-arm spinner Nikita Miller in the 40th over with 73 required.
The tension continued to rise, when Reifer, whose 68 from 81 balls included two fours and one six, was needlessly run out in the 46th over with 32 needed from the final 26 deliveries.
Permaul replaced him and put on a vital 22 for the eighth wicket with left-hander Ricardo Adams, whose six over wide long-on off the last ball of the 48th over – bowled by Gordon Bryan – tipped the scales, before he too, was run out to leave the Jaguars needing 10 from the last eight balls.
Veteran Jermaine Taylor, whose 3-44 from 10 overs made him the most successful Scorpions bowler, delved into his vast experience and conceded just four from the penultimate over, leaving the Jags to get nine from the final over.
Miller entrusted the final six balls to Bryan and got the wicket of Clinton Pestano, caught inside the long-on boundary off the first ball to further raise the intrigue.
But the diminutive Permaul, having gained strike when the batsmen crossed while running between the wickets during the dismissal, burst the Scorpions’ balloon when he swatted the next delivery from Bryan over wide long-on for six.
Permaul scrambled a single and a leg-bye from the next two deliveries in the company of last man, Jamaica-born, former WINDIES Under-19 captain Ramaal Lewis before he drove Bryan through cover for four to seal the victory with one ball remaining.
The Jaguars now await the outcome of Friday’s second semi-final at Kensington Oval between Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners and the star-studded Trinidad & Tobago Red Force to know their opponents in the Grand Final which will be contested on Sunday at the same venue.
Video highlights of the match are available from 4 pm (EC Time) on the WINDIES Cricket YouTube channel, click here – https://bit.ly/2ymVjIG
Earlier, half-centuries from Nkrumah Bonner and John Campbell propped up the Scorpions’ batting, as they posted 272 for eight from their allocation of 50 overs, after they won the toss.
Campbell gave the Scorpions’ innings early momentum with a typically enterprising 56 from 59 balls that included six fours and one six.
But Bonner led a rear-guard with an unbeaten, top score of 76 from 64 balls that included five fours and one six, after the Scorpions stumbled to 135 for five in the 31st over.
He shared 69 for the sixth wicket with Derval Green and helped the Scorpions raise 80 in the last 10 overs before Johnson, Reifer and later Permaul rendered his efforts inadequate.
Pestano was the most successful Jaguars bowler with 3-56 from 10 overs.
-ENDS-
MATCH RESULTS
GROUP “A”
(in Trinidad)
| DATE | MATCH | VENUE |
| Wed, Oct 3 | WINDIES “B” beat Canada by 10 runs | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| Fri, Oct 5 | Volcanoes beat Canada by 73 runs | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| Sun, Oct 7 | Jaguars beat WINDIES “B” by 9 wickets | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| Tue, Oct 9 | Jaguars beat Canada by 7 wickets | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| Thu, Oct 11 | Jaguars beat Volcanoes by 93 runs | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| Sat, Oct 13 | Jaguars beat Red Force by 75 runs | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| Mon, Oct 15 | WINDIES “B” beat Volcanoes by 3 wickets | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| Wed, Oct 17 | Red Force beat Volcanoes by 7 wickets | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| Fri, Oct 19 | Red Force vs WINDIES “B”, no result | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| Sun, Oct 21 | Guyana vs WINDIES “B”, no result | Brian Lara Cricket Academy |
| DATE | MATCH | VENUE |
| Wed, Oct 3 | Red Force beat Volcanoes by 75 runs | Queen’s Park Oval |
| Fri, Oct 5 | Red Force beat Jaguars by 35 runs | Queen’s Park Oval |
| Sun, Oct 7 | Red Force beat Canada by 2 wickets | Queen’s Park Oval |
| Tue, Oct 9 | WINDIES “B” vs Volcanoes, no result | Queen’s Park Oval |
| Thu, Oct 11 | Red Force beat WINDIES “B” by 70 runs | Queen’s Park Oval |
| Sat, Oct 13 | Canada beat Volcanoes by 18 runs | Queen’s Park Oval |
| Mon, Oct 15 | Jaguars beat Canada by 4 wickets | Queen’s Park Oval |
| Wed, Oct 17 | Canada vs WINDIES “B”, no result | Queen’s Park Oval |
| Fri, Oct 19 | Volcanoes vs Jaguars, no result | Queen’s Park Oval |
| Sun, Oct 21 | Red Force vs Canada, no result | Queen’s Park Oval |
GROUP “B”
(in Barbados)
| DATE | MATCH | VENUE |
| Thu, Oct 4 | Scorpions beat Marooners by 7 wickets | Three Ws Oval |
| Sat, Oct 6 | Marooners beat United States by 59 runs | Three Ws Oval |
| Mon, Oct 8 | Hurricanes beat Maroons by 9 runs | Three Ws Oval |
| Wed, Oct 10 | Marooners beat Pride by 7 wickets | Three Ws Oval |
| Fri, Oct 12 | Scorpions beat Hurricanes by 7 wickets | Three Ws Oval |
| Sun, Oct 14 | Marooners beat Scorpions by six wickets | Three Ws Oval |
| Tue, Oct 16 | Pride beat United States by 4 wickets | Three Ws Oval |
| Thu, Oct 18 | Hurricanes beat United States by 47 runs (D/L/S) | Three Ws Oval |
| Sat, Oct 20 | Marooners vs United States, no result | Windward Cricket Ground |
| Mon, Oct 22 | United States beat Scorpions by 74 runs | Three Ws Oval |
| DATE | MATCH | VENUE |
| Thu, Oct 4 | Pride vs Hurricanes, no result | Kensington Oval |
| Sat, Oct 6 | Scorpions beat Pride by 33 runs | Kensington Oval |
| Mon, Oct 8 | Scorpions beat United States by 7 wickets | Kensington Oval |
| Wed, Oct 10 | United States beat Hurricanes by 88 runs | Kensington Oval |
| Fri, Oct 12 | Pride beat United States by 3 wickets | Kensington Oval |
| Sun, Oct 14 | Pride beat Hurricanes by 3 wickets | Kensington Oval |
| Tue, Oct 16 | Hurricanes vs Scorpions, no result | Kensington Oval |
| Thu, Oct 18 | Marooners beat Pride by 125 runs | Kensington Oval |
| Sat, Oct 20 | Pride beat Scorpions by 39 runs | Kensington Oval |
| Mon, Oct 22 | Marooners beat Hurricanes by 8 wickets | Kensington Oval |
REMAINING MATCHES
THE FINALS
(in Barbados)
- Matches starting at 2 pm, except where indicated in brackets; televised on ESPN Caribbean
| DATE | MATCH | VENUE |
| Thu, Oct 25 | SEMI-FINAL #1 – Jaguars beat Scorpions by 1 wicket | Kensington Oval |
| Fri, Oct 26 | SEMI-FINAL #2 – Marooners vs Red Force | Kensington Oval |
| Sun, Oct 28 | GRAND FINAL – WINNER SF1 vs WINNER SF2 | Kensington Oval (11:30 am start) |
NOTES
- Visit the CWI website, www.windiescricket.com, for tournament and ticket information
-CWI
