Henry bags hat trick as Jamaica top Super50

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC):

Jamaica crowned themselves Women’s Super50 Cup champions with a game to spare when they pulled off an edgy three-wicket victory over Windward Islands in the penultimate round here yesterday.

Asked to chase a tricky 176 at St Paul’s Sports Complex, Jamaica overhauled their target at the start of the 37th over with West Indies batter Rashada Williams top-scoring with 72 off 101 balls at the top of the order.

Her West Indies teammates Natasha McLean (50) and Chedean Nation (29) produced important knocks as Jamaica remained unbeaten in the tournament with their fourth consecutive victory.

Earlier, Windward Islands gathered 175 for nine in a contest reduced to 45 overs per side, 41-year-old Pearl Etienne rolling back the years with a top score of 58 off 75 balls and Jannelia Glasgow (38) and captain Afy Fletcher (31) playing supporting roles.

The innings was highlighted by a final over hat trick from Chinelle Henry who finished with superb figures of six for 31 with her medium pace.

She got Glasgow to sky the third ball to cover, hit Earnisha Fontaine in front with the next ball before removing Amiah Gilbert’s leg stump with the last ball of the innings.

Choosing to bat first, the Windwards slumped to 69 for five before Etienne and Glasgow combined in a fruitful 87-run sixth-wicket stand to repair the damage.

In reply, Keneshia Ferron fell cheaply for two in the third over, leg before wicket to Etienne’s seam with six runs on the board but Williams and Nation put on 46 for the second wicket to stabilise the Jamaica run chase.

When Jamaica slipped to 61 for three in the 13th over, the experienced Williams took responsibility for the innings by anchoring an excellent 93-run fourth-wicket partnership with McLean.

While Williams counted seven fours and a six, McLean thumped three fours and two sixes in a run-a-ball fifty.

The contest became nervy when another three wickets went down for 19 runs but Jamaica held their nerves to get home safely.

Meanwhile, Guyana and Barbados both posted their third wins to keep Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) and Leeward Islands winless.

At Conaree Sports Club, Guyana beat T&T by 61 runs, West Indies vice-captain Shemaine Campbelle top-scoring with 52 to get the winners up to 156 for eight off their 50 overs.

Campbelle struck four fours in an 81-ball knock, putting on 69 for the third wicket with Shabika Gajnabi (33) to pull the innings around from 31 for two in the 14th over.

Twenty-year-old off-spinner Ashmini Munisar then wrecked the T&T innings with a spell of five for 15 to send the innings crashing for 95 all out off 42 overs.

At Warner Park, Barbados comfortably chased down a challenging 256 to beat Leeward Islands by five wickets with 22 balls to spare, left-hander Kyshona Knight top-scoring with a composed unbeaten 88 off 107 deliveries and Aaliyah Alleyne lashing a breezy 59 off 55 balls.