ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) - Champions Barbados booked their place in the semifinals of the Red Stripe Bowl limited-overs competition when they overcame a determined West Indies Under-19 side by three wickets in their last Zone B match yesterday at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG).
It took a crucial fifth-wicket stand of 88 between Floyd Reifer and captain Courtney Browne to spur Barbados to victory after they were in trouble at 28 for four chasing 162 win.
Earlier, a share of six wickets by fast bowler Pedro Collins (3-18) and Man-of-the-Match Ryan Hurley (3-23) helped the Barbadians to dismiss the U-19s for 161 in 48.2 overs.
But the champions started their reply disastrously as they lost four wickets for 28 runs and it took Reifer, who top-scored with 54 from 67 balls with five fours and a six and Browne's 37 from 59 balls, laced with two sixes and two fours, to pull the innings around.
Fast bowlers Ravi Rampaul (2-43) and Mervin Matthews (2-29) took care of the Barbados top order and occasional spinner Jonathan Augustus chipped in with two late wickets (2-22) to have Barbados on 130 for six before Ryan Hurley hit a run-a-ball 29 with four fours and a six to swing the match firmly in his team's favour.
In the U-19s innings, Lendl Simmons, striking the ball with good timing, got to a well-played 45 before he was run-out with the score on 75.
Simmons and Craig Emmanuel were batting well in a stand of 64 before they mis-communicated on a single and the Trinidadian was left stranded by Dwayne Smith's throw from mid-on to the striker's end.
A late cameo of 29 not out from Liam Sebastien, captain Dinesh Ramdin's 24 and Zamal Khan's 20 proved to be insufficient to the U-19s cause.
Hurley struck twice in one over removing Emmanuel (17) and Assad Fudadin (9) and then trapped Augustus leg-before-wicket for no score.
Collins' wickets were Khan, Rampaul (0) and last man Rishi Bachan (0).
The win put Barbados onto 13 points and they will finish either group winners or runners-up depending on the outcome of today’s game between Antigua and Barbuda and Guyana, the last of the group.
Antigua have 10 points after two wins and an abandoned fixture while the Guyanese are on nine.
WEST INDIES Under-19 innings
C.Emanuel c Bradshaw b Hurley 17
T.Maraj c Reifer b Drakes 4
L.Simmons run-out (Smith/Browne) 45
A.Fudadin c Richards b Hurley 9
*+D.Ramdin c Collins b Bradshaw 24
J.Augustus lbw Hurley 0
L.Sebastian not out 29
Z.Khan c wkp. Browne b Collins 20
R.Rampaul c Reifer b Collins 0
M.Matthew c wkp. Browne b Collymore 1
R.Bachan c wkp. Browne b Collins 0
Extras: (lb-1, nb-1, w-6) 12
Total: (all out - off 48.2 overs) 161
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-75, 3-86, 4-86, 5-99, 6-113, 7-157, 8-157, 9-160.