The Red Force entered the day 98-3, trailing the Scorpions first innings score of 141 by 43 runs with Joshua Da Silva and Yannic Cariah at the crease on 32 and 11 respectively.
Da Silva added 5 to his overnight score before he was dismissed for 37 by Derval Green to leave the hosts 104-4.
Jyd Goolie was next to go for just six to leave the Red Force in a spot of bother at 118-5 before a magnificent 116-run partnership between Cariah and Isaiah Rajah put them in a comfortable position leading up to the end of play.
Cariah, who brought up his 10th first class half-century off 181 balls in the 80th over, eventually fell near the close of play for a patient 72 off 222 balls.
Rajah batted fluently to end the day, making 58 not out off 268 balls, including seven fours.
The Red Force ended Day 2 on 234-6 off 98 overs, leading the Scorpions by 93 runs.
Nicholson Gordon has so far led the way for the Jamaican bowlers with 3-51 off 21 overs while opening bowling partner Marquino Mindley has taken 2-52 off 20 overs.
After the Red Force won the toss and chose to field, Hosein ripped through the CCC batting line-up to finish with figures of 4-38 from eight overs and three deliveries. Sunil Narine and Jayden Seales also took two wickets each to help restrict the CCC to 119 all out off 33.3 overs. Jonathan Drakes and Matthew Forde got 38 and 37, respectively.
Opener Kjorn Ottley then struck a composed 65 not out from 79 balls to anchor the chase for the Red Force. His knock included eight fours. Jason Mohammed (23) and Joshua Da Silva (17) provided good support as T&T needed just 27.4 overs to reach 120-3.
The Red Force started the day 51-3, needing 110 more runs to make the Pride bat again, and they got off to the worst possible start after Chase removed Jason Mohammed for 10 to leave the score at 55-4.
55-4 became 64-5 as opener Keagan Simmons was next to go for 31, caught off the bowling of Chase.
Yannic Cariah was the only other batsman to put up any resistance, finishing 35 not out as Joshua Da Silva (14), Imran Khan (2), Terrance Hinds (1), Uthman Muhammad (7), and Shannon Gabriel (8) all fell in quick succession to restrict the Red Force to 139 all out, condemning them to their second straight outright loss.
Chase took 3-26 from 12 overs while Akeem Jordan and Justin Greaves were also instrumental with 3-31 off 11.1 overs and 2-27 from nine overs, respectively.
Final scores: Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 133 and 139, Barbados Pride 294.
The Scorpions started the day 118-4 with Paul Palmer Jr joining night watchman Marquino Mindley at the crease.
The pair put on just 13 before Mindley was dismissed by Preston McSween to leave the Scorpions 131-5, just six runs behind the Windwards first innings total of 137.
However, Brandon King joined Palmer Jr in the middle and the two put on an additional 30 runs before Palmer edged to second slip off the bowling of Josh Thomas for 15.
Derval Green came and went for a three-ball duck to leave the Scorpions 161-7 before wicketkeeper/batsman Aldane Thomas joined King in the middle.
The pair added some stability with a partnership of 58 before Thomas went caught at slip off the bowling of Sherman Lewis for 20 to leave the score 219-8 just after the lunch break.
Jamie Merchant and King then mounted a stand of 109 for the ninth wicket, taking the score to 328 when Merchant was dismissed for 58, his maiden first-class half-century.
King also scored his third first-class hundred during the stand and was 119 not out off 154 balls in the end.
The Scorpions eventually got to 346 all out, a commanding first innings lead of 209 runs.
Preston McSween was the pick of the Volcanoes bowlers with 4-96 off 25 overs while Josh Thomas supported well with 3-56 off 21 overs.
Kimani Melius and Devon Smith then began the task of overhauling the Scorpions' total with an opening partnership of 31 before Melius fell to Derval Green for 17.
Captain Kavem Hodge then joined Smith and the pair put on 36 before Smith was next to go, becoming Green’s second victim for a top score of 31.
Alick Athanaze was next to the crease and he and his captain looked comfortable, putting on 34 until the final over of the day which saw Jamie Merchant dismiss Athanaze for 17 to leave the Volcanoes 101-3 off 33.1 overs at stumps, still trailing by 108 runs.
Kavem Hodge is currently 30 not out while Derval Green has taken 2-35 off 10 overs for the Scorpions.
The LOC, in a media conference at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair on Tuesday, provided an update on their preparations ahead of the June 1-29 tournament, which is being co-hosted by the Caribbean and the United States. The Brian Lara Cricket Academy, in Tarouba, will host five matches in the tournament, including four group matches and the first semifinal.
Haresh Ragoonath, venue and facilities manager for the T20 World Cup, said the refurbishing of the venue should be wrapped up within the next three weeks.
“The needs for the tournament are so great, when the facility was built it was not designed for T20 cricket as it is modernised so much right now. The commercial aspect of cricket has grown so much," Ragoonath told T&T Newsday.
Ragoonath pointed out that the adjustments are being made at the North media tower at the venue, with the installation of eastern and western wings set to see the venue comfortably accommodating over 120 media personnel.
“It’s about 95 per cent completed already. It should be completed in the next ten to 12 days in time for the tournament," he shared.
Perhaps, more importantly, to add to the atmosphere and ambience in the stadium, Ragoonath said there will be more seating to accommodate approximately 2,400 more spectators, thus turning the already 15,000-seater into a 17,000-plus capacity venue.
“There were a couple of areas we identified that had no seats, so we are going to increase the seating capacity of the stadium – all the sections," he explained.
“This has already started and will be completed in the next 20 days as well. The additional capacity will be increasing by about 2,400," Ragoonath noted.
In a game that was eventually reduced to 47 overs per side due to multiple rain delays, the Scorpions, after winning the toss, were bowled out for 181 with one ball to spare.
A number of Jamaica batsmen were able to get starts but none were able to carry on and get a big enough score to put pressure on the Harpy Eagles.
Brad Barnes was the highest scorer with 36 while Rovman Powell (33), Chadwick Walton (26), Andre McCarthy (23), Odean Smith (20) and Nkrumah Bonner (20) all got starts.
Nial Smith led the way with the ball for Guyana with 3-26 from 8.5 overs while Kevin Sinclair took 3-48 from 10 overs.
Guyana then needed only 39 overs to reach 184-3. The successful chase was led by half centuries from Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Shimron Hetmyer.
Chanderpaul led the way with 77 off 110 balls, his highest List A score, while Hetmyer finished not out on 62 off 53 balls including five fours and two sixes.
Captain Tevin Imlach provided good support with 30. Shalome Parnell took 2-26 off six overs for the Scorpions whose season now comes to an end with six losses and one no result in seven games.
The Harpy Eagles will now join the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and the Barbados Pride in the semi-finals.
Fans will get the chance to see the two best teams in the tournament after Trinidad & Tobago Red Force beat Guyana Harpy Eagles and Leeward Islands Hurricanes beat Barbados Pride in the two semi-finals. To add to the excitement there is the incentive of seeing Sunil Narine in his final match in Trinidad & Tobago Red Force colors. Earlier this week the off-spinner announced that he will be retiring from List A and international cricket following the conclusion of the CG United Super50 Cup.
A number of West Indies internationals will feature in the final 50-over match before England arrive for the CG United ODI Series and T20I Series starting on 3 December. The Leeward Islands squad features captain Alzarri Joseph, Keacy Carty, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jahmar Hamilton, Justin Greaves, Kieran Powell, Oshane Thomas and Hayden Walsh Jr. Trinidad and Tobago Red Force are captained by batsman Darren Bravo and their squad includes: Yannic Carriah, Shannon Gabriel, Akeal Hosein, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Joshua Da Silva, Nicholas Pooran and Jayden Seales.
Dominic Warne, CWI’s Commercial Director said: “This is exciting news for our fans as we have opened the gates to have them enter for free and see the finale of the CG United Super50 Cup. We have seen three weeks of action on the field and we expect an exciting contest on Saturday to crown the CG United Super50 Champions. Also, this is a great opportunity for the home Trini supporters and fans of Sunil to see him in action in his Trinidad and Tobago Red Force jersey for the final time and give him a fitting send off.”
The day/night match starts at 1pm (12 noon Jamaica) and will be televised live on ESPN. Live ball-by-ball scoring will be available in the windiescricket.com Match Centre.
This win was the first for the Patriots this season in nine games, their worst run since the 2020 season where they finished last after winning just one match.
The Kings were restricted to 149-7 off their 20 overs after the Patriots won the toss and decided to field first.
Shadrack Descarte led the way with a 31-ball 43 while Johnson Charles hit 42 for the Kings as Ashmead Nedd bowled beautifully up front for the Patriots with 2-14 from his four overs. Benny Howell also bowled well with 2-31 from his four overs.
Fletcher then starred with an unbeaten 93 from 64 balls including six fours and five sixes to lead the successful chase for the Patriots.
Sherfane Rutherford was the next highest scorer with 17.
Things got a bit tricky for the Patriots in the 17th over when Fletcher picked up a hamstring injury which left him unable to run unimpaired for the remainder of the chase.
With that being said, the chase seemed comfortable up until the penultimate over from Alzarri Joseph.
The Patriots needed just 10 from the final two overs at that point before a brilliant over from Joseph meant St. Kitts & Nevis would end up needing nine from the last over with an injured Fletched and Corbin Bosch at the crease.
Roston Chase was tasked with bowling the last over. The first two balls were hit for singles before Bosch was dismissed caught at deep mid-wicket off the third ball leaving the Patriots needing seven.
Dominic Drakes joined Fletcher at the crease and was only able to get a single off the fourth ball.
Fletcher then ended proceedings with a six off the fifth ball to seal the win.
Kharry Pierre, Roston Chase and Sikanda Raza all took two wickets, each, for the Kings.
A rain delay meant the game was reduced to 42 overs and the Pride took first strike after the Hurricanes won the toss.
The Bajans quickly found themselves 19-3 inside 5 overs, losing Kraigg Brathwaite (2), Zachary McCaskie (4) and Shamarh Brooks (5) in quick succession.
An 85-run fourth wicket stand between Captain Shai Hope and Roston Chase restored order to proceedings before Chase fell in the 22nd over for a 58-ball 45.
Hope went on to bring up his second fifty of the tournament before he fell soon after for 55 with the Pride on 138 in the 30th over.
The skipper’s wicket brought about a procession with the Pride losing their final five wickets for 58 runs to eventually be bowled out for 196 in 41.2 overs.
Hurricanes captain Alzarri Joseph took 3-34 from his nine overs while Hayden Walsh Jr took 3-43 from eight overs.
Chasing a revised target of 192, the Leewards lost Kieran Powell off just the second ball of the innings for four.
Justin Greaves and Keacy Carty then put on 59 for the second wicket before Carty went off the bowling of Roston Chase for 18.
Jahmar Hamilton then came and went soon after for 10 to leave the Hurricanes 77-3 off 16 overs.
Terance Warde then joined Greaves in the middle and the pair added a crucial 65 for the fourth wicket before Warde fell for 22.
16-year-old debutant and West Indies Under-19 representative Jewel Andrew was next to go for five before Alzarri Joseph fell for seven to bring Hayden Walsh Jr to the crease to join Greaves with the Hurricanes needing 28.
The pair brought the Hurricanes home at 192-6 in 40.1 overs.
Greaves ended 95* off 120 balls, his third consecutive 50-plus score, while Walsh Jr finished 21* off just nine balls.
Roston Chase took 4-34 from nine overs for the Pride.
The day's other game between the Jamaica Scorpions and the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force ended in a no result.
The Scorpions were 213-9 off 48 overs batting first before rain meant no further play was possible at the Queen's Park Oval.
Nkrumah Bonner led the way with 74 while Rovman Powell made 48 against three wickets apiece from Sunil Narine and Akeal Hosein.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, the Harpy Eagles were restricted to just 190 all out off 43 overs.
Openers Anthony Bramble (60) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (30) put on a partnership of 93 before they were both dismissed in the 18th over. The only other batsmen to reach double figures were Shimron Hetmyer with 37 and Kevin Sinclair with 36 as Justin Greaves took 4-39 from eight overs for the Volcanoes.
Gudakesh Motie and Sherfane Rutherford then combined for six wickets to help restrict the Windwards to 129 all out in 38 overs.
Sunil Ambris (43) and Kavem Hodge (38) did the bulk of the scoring for the Windwards against Motie’s 3-31 off nine overs and Rutherford’s 3-25 off eight overs.
Guyana have now overtaken the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at the top of Group A with 12 points from four games while the Windwards remain third on eight, two points behind T&T.
The Leewards were bundled out for 68 in 19.4 overs after winning the toss.
Captain Jahzara Claxton was the only batter in double figures for the Leewards with 25 as Trisha Hardat ripped through the batting on her way to a match-winning 4-10 off her four overs.
She was well supported by Danellie Manns who took 2-14 from four overs.
Guyana were then on their way to a comfortable chase at 63-5 in the 12th over before rain came and brought proceedings to a close.
At the time of the delay, Guyana were 63-5, 23 runs ahead of the DLS par score.
Naomi Barkoye led the way with 24 while Shonette Belgrave made 21.
Amara Richards and Sainvani Kambalapalli took two wickets, each, to help the Leewards effort.
At Diego Martin Sports Complex, 2023 champions Trinidad & Tobago defeated the Windward Islands by five wickets to claim third place.
T&T restricted the Windwards to 67-7 off their 20 overs after winning the toss and fielding first.
Nesha Alexander with 18, captain Zaida James with 11 and Denella Creese with 10 were the only Windwards batters into double figures as Kenika Cassar bowled brilliantly on her way to figures of 2-5 from her four overs.
Kirah Manpaul took 2-8 from her one over in support.
Trinidad & Tobago then needed 17 overs to reach 68-5. Brianna Harricharan led the way with 17* while Katrina Ruben made 12.
Amiah Gilbert took 2-18 from two overs.
At the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, Jamaica defeated Barbados by seven wickets to claim fifth place.
Barbados, after winning the toss and batting first, were bowled out for 63 19.1 overs by the Jamaicans.
Naijanni Cumberbatch led the way for the Bajans with 20. Moniqueca Reid took 3-20 from her four overs for Jamaica while Sashane Ricketts took 2-1 from 1.1 overs.
Chrishana McKenzie then spearheaded a successful chase with 21* while Jaunel Deers made 17 as Jamaica reached 64-3 in 19.3 overs.
At the same venue on Thursday, the Leewards secured a seven-run win over Jamaica via the DLS method.
The Leewards first posted 124-6 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat by the Jamaicans. Captain Jahzara Claxton led the way with 29 while Sainvani Kambalapalli made 22 and Kimberley Anthony made 20.
Brianna Plummer, Abigail Bryce and Aneisha Miller each took two wickets for Jamaica.
At the time of the rain delay, Jamaica were 55-3 off 10.4 overs, seven runs short of the DLS par score.
At the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, Guyana, who booked their spot in the final thanks to wins in the first four rounds, suffered a narrow two-wicket loss to the Windward Islands in round five.
The Guyanese were bundled out for just 60 in 18 overs after winning the toss. Nesha Alexander was the pick of the Windwards bowlers with 4-8 from her four overs while Selena Ross took 3-8 off three overs in support.
The Windwards then hade a tough time of it in their chase, needing 18.3 overs to reach 61-8.
Denella Creese led the way with 25 as Trisha Hardat and Nyia Latchman tried their best with the ball for Guyana.
Hardat took 2-2 from two overs while Latchman took 2-6 from her four overs.
The other round five fixture saw Barbados defeat Trinidad & Tobago by 12 runs via the DLS method at the Diego Martin Sports Complex.
Barbados made 100-5 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat. Asabi Callender led the way with 40 while Naijanni Cumberbatch made 30* against 2-9 off four overs from Kenika Cassar and 2-13 off three overs from Brianna Harricharan.
Trinidad & Tobago’s target was then revised to 95 off 18 overs due to rain.
They lost wickets early and never recovered, eventually being restricted to 82-9 off 18 overs.
Erin Deane starred with 4-12 from her four overs while Cumberbatch and Nia Wood took 2-14, each.
Also on Saturday, Trinidad and Tobago will face the Windward Islands in the third-place playoff at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground while Jamaica will face Barbados in the fifth-place playoff at the Diego Martin Sports Complex.
Hinds, playing in only his second match for Red Force, cracked an undefeated 102, batting at nine, to help the home team pile up a 366-run, first-innings lead over Hurricanes, whose second innings batting was undermined by a destructive spell from Hosein on the third day of second-round matches in the Championship.
Left-arm spinner Hosein grabbed 4-56 from 19 overs to trigger a Hurricanes second innings batting collapse.
Openers Montcin Hodge and Kieran Powell gave Hurricanes a strong start, sharing 84 for the first wicket, but they lost seven wickets for 68 either side of tea to put Red Force within reach of victory.
Earlier, Hinds became the second century-maker in the Red Force first innings to pile the pressure on the Hurricanes before they declared in the final hour before tea.
Resuming from their overnight total of 337 for four, Red Force were 383 for five when spinner Jacques Taylor removed Joshua da Silva for 80.
Da Silva’s dismissal triggered a collapse in the Red Force batting as they lost four wickets for 26 in the space of 64 balls, including left-hander Yannic Cariah for 46.
But Hinds dominated a ninth-wicket stand of 122 with Bryan Charles that stopped the Hurricanes advance and gave Red Force complete command.
Leg-spinner Damion Jacobs bowled Charles for 43, but Red Force extended the innings long enough for Hinds to reach his landmark before declaring.
India made 351-5 off their 50 overs, their highest ODI total in the West Indies, after being put in to bat by the hosts.
Openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill once again shared in a prolific opening partnership, this time putting on 143 for the first wicket.
Gill top-scored with 85 off 92 balls including 11 fours while Kishan made 77 off 64 balls, his third half-century in the series, hitting eight fours and three sixes in the process.
India also got half-centuries from Captain Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson.
Pandya hit an unbeaten 52-ball 70 including four fours and five sixes while Samson made 51 off 41 balls including a pair of fours and four sixes. Suryakumar Yadav also contributed 35.
Romario Shepherd took 2-73 from his 10 overs for the Windies.
Then, similar to their batting effort in first ODI where they were dismissed for 114 batting first, early wickets meant the West Indian chase was over before it could really begin.
They lost their first six wickets for just 50 in 14 overs before, eventually, being bowled out for 151 in 35 overs.
Gudakesh Motie provided some late entertainment for the crowd with 39* off 34 balls including four fours and three sixes.
Alick Athanaze had earlier made 32 while Alzarri Joseph made 26.
Shardul Thakur led the way with the ball for India with 4-37 off 6.3 overs while Mukesh Kumar took 3-30 off seven overs and Kuldeep Yadav took 2-25 from eight overs.
The Hurricanes won the toss and chose to bat first, posting a formidable 290 all out off 49.4 overs thanks to half centuries from Jahmar Hamilton, Justin Greaves and Hayden Walsh Jr.
Hamilton top scored with a 61-ball 76, his third fifty of the competition, including six fours and four sixes while Greaves, the leading run-scorer in the tournament, got his fourth consecutive 50-plus score with 63 off 76 balls including five fours.
Walsh Jr, batting at number eight, got his second fifty of the tournament with a rapid 45-ball 57 including one four and five sixes to propel the Hurricanes to their massive total.
Off-spinner Kemar Smith, brother of former West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith, got his maiden five-wicket haul for the Pride with 5-43 off his 10 overs. Dominic Drakes and Raymon Reifer provided good support with two wickets, each.
The Pride reply got off to the worst possible start when Hurricanes skipper Alzarri Joseph bowled destructive opener Kyle Mayers off the second ball of the innings for four.
Barbados then quickly lost the wickets of Zachary McCaskie (6), Shai Hope (19), Shamarh Brooks (13) and Kraigg Brathwaite (11) to find themselves reeling at 61-5 in the 13th over.
Roston Chase tried his best to restore some order to the innings with a fighting 36-ball 35 but it wasn’t enough as the Pride were eventually bowled out for 135 in just 30.2 overs.
Joseph was brilliant up from with the new ball for the Hurricanes with 3-30 from his five overs while left-arm spinner Daniel Doram continued his own good form with 3-33 from his 10 overs. Kofi James (2-36 from seven) and Hayden Walsh Jr (2-13 from 3.2) also bowled well to seal the win.
This is the Leeward Islands Hurricanes’ first trip to the final of the Super50 Cup since 2019 where they lost to the West Indies Emerging Players while this is the Red Force’s third straight trip to the final.
They won the title in 2021 against the Guyana Harpy Eagles before losing the final to the Jamaica Scorpions last year.
The final will take place at the same venue on Saturday.
The Hurricanes and the Red Force previously met in the fourth round of this year's tournament with the Red Force winning that game by three wickets.
After her decisive innings of 61 not out against Guyana Amazon Warriors in the first game of the competition on Wednesday, Matthews showed again why she is one of the best in the world in the white ball format. The in-form opener struck twelve boundaries to finish unbeaten on 67 off 56 balls to see her side complete a comfortable seven wicket victory with 17 balls to spare.
Matthews started the evening well and never looked back. She won the toss for the second night in a row and chose to insert the opposition, her decision vindicated with the very first ball of the match as Chinelle Henry bowled Knight Riders opener Kycia Knight.
It was a sign of things to come as a procession of wickets fell soon after. The Knight Riders total of 113/9 never looked enough to challenge the Royals stellar batting card and so it proved when Matthews hit the winning four off Shikha Pandey from the first ball of the 18th over. The 2023 champions have two wins from two games and look the team to beat in the early stages of this year’s WCPL.
The Royals obliterated the Knight Riders top order to leave them reeling on 57/6 at the halfway stage in the innings and it was thanks to Shikha Pandey and Zaida James that the Knight Riders reached the total that they did. A partnership of exactly 50 runs off 47 deliveries for the seventh wicket helped Deandra Dottin’s side bat out their allotted overs and post a total of 113/9.
Pandey, in particular played, well, top scoring for her side with 30 runs, her deft cuts and manipulation of the ball into the gaps was impressive in the face of tight bowling.
Matthews took a fine diving catch in the outfield and topped off a sparkling Player of the Match performance by bowling both Zaida James and Jazhara Claxton to take 2-21 with the ball.
For the second match in a row the Royals bowlers impressed and shared the wickets around, Henry, Matthews and Wellington all picking up two wickets apiece and Qiana Joseph and Aaliyah Alleyne pocketing one each. The Barbados side are firing in all departments.
The Volcanoes resumed on 101-3 with captain Kavem Hodge (30) and Ackeem Auguste (0) at the crease needing to score 209 to overhaul their first innings deficit of 209 runs.
The pair added a further 26 before Auguste became Merchant’s first scalp of the day for 11.
First innings half-centurion Keron Cottoy joined his captain and the pair put on 36 before Merchant dismissed Cottoy for 21 to leave the Volcanoes struggling at 163-5.
The popular cricket phrase “one brings two” was in full effect as just two balls later, Merchant removed wicketkeeper/batsman Denis Smith for a duck to leave the Volcanoes 163-6.
In the midst of the carnage, Hodge brought up a well-played half century before being the seventh wicket to fall, dismissed by Green for 63 as the Volcanoes slumped to 173-7.
Sherman Lewis (6), Preston McSween (4) and Josh Thomas (0) were the final three wickets to fall as Merchant and Green mopped up the tail to secure the massive win for the Scorpions.
Merchant, who scored 58 when the Scorpions batted, followed up with 5-72 from 28 overs to cap a fine all-round performance while Green ended with 5-46 from 18.2 overs.
Final scores: Windward Islands Volcanoes 137 and 195, Jamaica Scorpions 346.
Matthews won the toss and chose to field first at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and her side restricted the Warriors to what was thought to be a below-par score of 118-9 off their 20 overs. The wickets were shared around between Royals’ seam and spin bowlers, Aaliyah Alleyne taking 3-21 from her four overs including the crucial wicket of a well-set Stafanie Taylor for 38.
It was far from a comfortable chase for the Royals, the 2023 champions found themselves 44-3 and 50-4 during their innings but Matthews kept her head with wickets falling all around her, finishing unbeaten on 61 not out off 58 deliveries having batted through the innings to secure victory for her side and get the defence of their trophy off to a winning start.
An undulating match began with the Warriors struggling to get any momentum with the bat after losing both openers inside the PowerPlay. Captain Lauren Winford-Hill was bowled by a fast delivery from Alleyne that zipped off the floodlit wicket and Natasha McLean fended off Qiana Joseph to be well caught inside the inner circle by a diving Cherry-Ann Fraser.
At 59-2 after 10 overs the Warriors then lost wickets regularly in the second half of their innings which duly served to stifle their run scoring.
Stafanie Taylor played a typically classy knock, hitting four fours and a six to anchor the innings for the Warriors before Alleyne made the crucial breakthrough by bowling her with the second ball of the 17th over. Amanda-Jade Wellington found turn and a kept a tight line for the Royals, the Australian leg-spinner finishing impressively with 2-19 off her four overs to set up a seemingly straightforward chase.
The Royals also lost regular wickets in their reply, Shabnim Isamil the pick of bowlers for the Warriors, picking 4-16 from her four overs and looking threatening with almost every delivery she sent down.
Erin Burns pulled off an early contender for catch of the competition, a flashing drive by Georgia Redmayne seeing Burns produce a wonderfully athletic diving grab at point. Definitely one for the highlights reel and the repeat button.
Chloe Tryon ensured the game went down to the wire by stitching together five consecutive dots to Shabika Gajnabi in a penultimate over that went for just one run.
With seven needed off the final six balls, Winford-Hill entrusted 19-year-old leg-spinner Nyia Latchman with the final over. The teenager kept her nerve impressively but it wasn’t enough to stop Matthews using all her skill and experience to find the gaps in the outfield and get her side over the line at the last.
The verdict comes nearly two months after the tournament, which India won by beating South Africa by seven runs in the final on June 29.
In those two games at the Nassau County Stadium, Sri Lanka were skittled out for 77 against South Africa on June 3 while Ireland were dismissed for 96 by India two days later.
In the second game, a number of players from both sides copped were struck on the body as a result of the uneven bounce in the pitch.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma had to retire hurt as a precautionary measure after being hit on the upper arm by Josh Little.
India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and Ireland batsman Harry Tector were also struck as a result of the nature of the surface.
At the time, Andy Flower had said the pitch in New York was "bordering on dangerous," while former England captain Michael Vaughan called it "shocking."
The venue in New York was readied in five months. Damian Hough, chief curator at the Adelaide Oval, was brought in by the ICC to prepare the drop-in pitches.
But after criticism from various quarters, the ICC had acknowledged that the pitches there had been substandard and the short turnaround time between matches didn't help. New York hosted eight games in two weeks.
Remedial work was carried out, and ahead of the following game, between Canada and Ireland, areas where grass shoots were growing under the cracks were covered with topsoil and rolled in to make the surface much flatter.
The surfaces used for the subsequent fixtures in New York, including India vs Pakistan, where 119 beat 113 for 7, have been rated as "satisfactory".
The bigger point of scrutiny, perhaps more than New York, was on the surface for the semi-final, where Afghanistan were bowled out for 56 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
The wicket was wildly unpredictable as some deliveries rolled along the ground while a few reared up from a similar spot.
At the time, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott was clear "that's not a pitch you want to play a semi-final on".
Generally, surfaces at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy were a challenge. West Indies, who scored 149 there and defended it narrowly against New Zealand, were tottering at 30 for 5 at one stage.
The ICC rates pitches, and outfields, for all international games on a scale of very good to unfit: very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and unfit.
The surface at Providence for the India vs England semi-final was rated "satisfactory", while the Kensington Oval deck for the final between India and South Africa was rated "very good".
The ICC was largely happy with the state of the outfields, with only New York and Guyana receiving "satisfactory" ratings, while the others were "very good".
