DISCOVERY BAY, Jamaica, (CMC) - All-rounder Lennox Cush put a disappointing series with the bat behind him to produce a man-of-the-match performance and propelled Guyana to an upset win over Barbados in the Red Stripe Bowl final at Kaiser Sports Club yesterday.
Guyana secured a 27-run victory over the defending champions to claim their third Red Stripe Bowl crown and eighth regional one-day title.
Cush hit a top score of 41 and then sent down five overs of controlled off-spin which cost just nine runs as Barbados were never allowed to score freely after the spinners were introduced.
Set a revised target of 184 from 37 overs, replying to the 212 for nine from 50 overs made by Guyana, after rain had interrupted played and cut out 12 overs from the last innings, Barbados fell for 156 in 36 overs to surrender the title they won last year by beating Jamaica.
Barbados were pegged back from the first over of their innings when Kurt Wilkinson (1) edged a catch to wicketkeeper Vishal Nagamootoo off pacer Reon Griffith with just two runs on the board.
Dwayne Smith then smashed four fours and a six in his 18-ball 29 but just when he appeared to threaten with Barbados on 41, his stumps were scattered by Griffith, who had been struck for consecutive boundaries in the over.
Floyd Reifer and the experienced Sherwin Campbell took the score to 76 for three before Campbell whose solid 48-ball 33 was decorated with five fours, was run-out.
Ryan Hinds (9) was then taken at short mid-wicket by Chanderpaul off Cush to leave Barbados on 92 for four in overcast conditions with rain threatening.
In an attempt to step up the scoring rate with the rain already falling, Reifer (19) skied left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell high for Chanderpaul to take the catch at short mid-wicket and Barbados slipped further into trouble under dark gray skies.
At the completion of the 26th over, the players were sent scampering off the field as the rain got harder and the covers were brought on with the defending champs on 100 for five.
When play re-started, the new target was a further 84 runs from 11 overs since 12 overs were deducted due to the rain interruption.
McGarrell sent back Ryan Hurley (4) at 108 for six, while Vasbert Drakes (7) was run-out at 124 for seven.
Two more batsmen, captain Courtney Browne (22) and Pedro Collins (2) were run-out in the 35th over and although Collymore crashed a six off McGarrell when Chattergoon at long on parried the ball over the ropes, Barbados crashed to defeat.
Barbados were all out when McGarrell bowled Collymore (8) to finish with three for 45 off eight overs.
Griffith had two for 51, but it was Crandon (7-0-19-0) and Cush (5-0-9-1), who had put the brakes on the scoring early on.
Earlier, Guyana won the toss and elected to bat first on a track with a lot less bounce than the ones used for the semifinals.
Ryan Ramdass struggled to score and with Sewnarine Chattergoon took Guyana to 45 before Chattergoon departed in the eighteenth over, stumped by Browne as he missed a big swing at off-spinner Ryan Hurley. His 24 included three fours and lasted 51 balls.
Chattergoon, dropped by Wilkinson at point on 21 off Drakes with the score on 32, gave his wicket away with an ill-advised shot before Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ramdass (37) took the score to 82.
Bradshaw, Barbados' semifinal hero, had Sarwan, the only batsman to reach 200 runs in the competition (202), caught behind for 22 from 33 balls with three fours.
Watched by a large crowd in brilliant sunshine, Ramdass then flicked Wilkinson high to Smith at square leg to leave Guyana on 104 for three.
Bradshaw captured the important wickets of crowd favourite Chanderpaul and Narsingh Deonarine in two balls as Guyana slipped to 111 for five in the 34th over.
Chanderpaul (19) was caught behind while Deonarine (0) played no shot to a ball that cut back and was lbw, as Bradshaw, who also had two wickets in two balls against Trinidad and Tobago including Brian Lara for a first-ball duck, continued his impressive run in the 'final four'.
Mahendra Nagamootoo (17) and Cush (41) added 46 for the sixth wicket before Collins removed Nagamootoo at 157 for six and Esuan Crandon (2) towards the end of the innings.
Cush threw his bat around and hit one four and two sixes in 41 from 50 balls before he had his off-stump plucked out by Collymore at 197 for seven in the 48th over.
McGarrell was then run-out for 25 from 24 balls with three fours as Guyana became the first team to reach 200 runs in the 'final four'.
Bradshaw finished with three for 37 while Collins took two for 37 as they both ended the competition with 12 wickets, only behind Nagamootoo, the leading wicket taker with 13 scalps.
Sarwan took home the award for the best all-rounder, and batsman with the most runs (202 runs and six wickets), while Nagamootoo took the prize for the best bowler. Browne got the prize for the best wicketkeeper.
GUYANA innings
S.Chattergoon stp. Brown b Hurley 24
R.Ramdass c Smith b Wilkinson 37
R.Sarwan c wkp. Browne b Bradshaw 22
*S.Chanderpaul c Browne b Bradshaw 19
L.Cush b Collymore 41
N.Deonarine lbw Bradshaw 0
M.Nagamootoo c Collymore b Collins 17
N.McGarrell run-out 25
E.Crandon c wkp. Brown b Collins 2
R.Griffith not out 2
Extras: (b-1, nb-3, lb-11, w-8) 23
Total: (for 9 wickets - 50 overs) 212
Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-82, 3-104, 4-111, 5-111, 6-157, 7-192, 8-197, 9-212.
Bowling: Collins 10-1-37-2 (nb-2, w-1), Bradshaw 10-0-37-3 (w-2), Collymore 10-0-40-1 (w-3, nb-1), Drakes 8-0-37-0 (w-2), Hurley 6-1-31-1, Wilkinson 6-1-18-1.
BARBADOS innings
K.Wilkinson c wkp. V.Nagamootoo b Griffith 1
S.Campbell run-out 33
D.Smith b Griffith 29
F.Reifer c Chanderpaul b McGarrell 19
R.Hinds c Chanderpaul b Cush 9
+*C.Browne run-out 22
R.Hurley c Crandon b McGarrell 4
V.Drakes run-out 7
I.Bradshaw not out 12
P.Collins run-out 2
C.Collymore b McGarrell 8
Extras: (lb-3, nb-3, w-4) 10
Total: (all out - 36 overs) 156
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-41, 3-76, 4-92, 5-99, 6-108, 7-124, 8-145, 9-147.
Bowling: Griffith 7-0-51-2 (w-1), Crandon 7-0-19-0 (nb-3, w-1), Cush 5-0-9-1, McGarrell 8-0-45-3, Deonarine 7-1-7-0, M.Nagamootoo 5-0-22-0 (w-1).