The Patriots won the toss and opted to field first but the decision backfired as a sparkling 89 off 57 balls from Brandon King led the way for the Tallawahs who set an imposing 183-2 from their 20 overs. In reply, the Patriots fell to a sizable defeat losing wickets in regular clusters as the Tallawahs put on an excellent display in the field to back up their performance with the bat.
The Tallawahs had got off to a circumspect start with Duan Jansen bowling a beautiful three-over opening spell. However once Brandon King got into his groove the runs started to flow. He took 14 and 19 runs, respectively, off Akila Dananjaya and Jon Russ Jaggesar to ensure the Tallawahs ended the PowerPlay on 48-0.
Whilst King was timing the ball well, the same could not be said for his opening partner Kennar Lewis. Normally a powerful striker of the ball, Lewis struggled in his time at the crease but had lady luck on his side. Twice he should have been run out but Sherfane Rutherford and Dewald Brevis failed to execute before Andre Fletcher and Jansen also dropped Lewis. Lewis benefitted from those misses to help put on a 100-run partnership with King before he eventually fell for 48 off the bowling of Jaden Carmichael.
That wicket brought Tallawahs captain, Rovman Powell, to the crease and he added a quickfire 30* from 15 balls at the death to ensure the Tallawahs set a match-winning target. Although much like Lewis he benefitted from two dropped catches along the way.
The Patriots were never really in the game in their reply as scoreboard pressure told.
Evin Lewis, Dewald Brevis and Darren Bravo all fell inside the first half of the innings which left the Patriots needing 12.5 runs per over.
That proved too steep a mountain to climb, and despite some pyrotechnics from Sherfane Rutherford, it was Nicholson Gordon who stole the show with the ball taking 3-24 to ensure a comfortable victory for the Tallawahs.
Barbados Royals had won the toss and chose to bat, with Rahkeem Cornwall and Kyle Mayers getting them off to a blistering start, combining to score 63 runs in the powerplay. However, Fabian Allen would remove both openers to bring the Tallawahs back into the game, before Azam Khan would continue his fine form with the bat to take the Royals to 161-7.
In response, Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks would produce an 86-run partnership that frustrated the Royals' bowling attack. Despite Jason Holder taking the wicket of Brooks, King would lead the rest of the chase as he scored a magnificent 83 runs from 50 balls to see the franchise win their third Hero CPL title.
Barbados Royals had chosen to bat with the aim of setting an imposing total, Cornwall and Mayers combining well to build an excellent foundation. Once Allen had removed them both with his spin bowling, the run rate slowed down as the Tallawahs wrestled back control of the game. However, Khan, who came in at number three, would bat until the 19th over, scoring his second successive half-century to help the Royals reach 161-7 after 20 overs.
Jamaica Tallawahs suffered an early setback in their chase as opener Kennar Lewis lost his wicket for a duck, but King and Brooks would rebuild at a steady run rate.
Once Brooks lost his wicket in the 11th over, King would shoulder the responsibility of finishing the chase, hitting 15 boundaries in total. In the end, King would take his side to victory with a six, sparking celebrations from Jamaica Tallawahs players, staff and fans.
Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 162-2 (King 83*, Brooks 47; Mayers 1-14, Holder 1-14) beat Barbados Royals 161-7 (Khan 51, Cornwall 36; Allen 3-24, Gordon 3-33) by 8 wickets.
Scores in the match so far, the Scorpions, 385, and the Hurricanes, 227 and 134-4.
The Scorpions, batting first, posted the competitive total thanks to Jermaine Blackwood’s 98 and Denis Smith’s 84.
In reply, only Montcin Hodge, 52, and Terance Ward, 65, made it to landmarks while Amir Jangoo scored 35 before he was run out.
Patrick Harty was the pick of the Scorpions bowling, bagging 4-43 on the way to restricting the Hurricanes to just 227.
Batting a second time and facing a deficit of 158, the Hurricanes made a fight of it but were pegged back by Nicholas Gordon’s 2-44.
That fight came mostly from the bat of Kieran Powell, who scored 54 before Gordon had him caught by Smith.
1-37 from Harty and 1-27 from Pete Salmon left the Hurricanes 24 runs short with just six second-innings wickets still intact.
The Hurricanes could bat for a long time tomorrow and end the match in a stalemate, as Jahmar Hamilton, 12, and Ward, 20, have hunkered down.
The Scorpions, on the other hand, will look to get rid of these six wickets as soon as possible and set to the task of overhauling what they hope will be a very small target. They currently lead by 24 runs.
