Barbados completes double with 8-wicket win over Guyana

– Dottin shines with sparkling 43*

Story and Photos By Brandon Corlette

Sealed with a Deandra Dottin six into the red stands, Barbados won the T20 Blaze championships by eight wickets against hosts, Guyana, at the National Stadium Providence. Batting first, Guyana struggled to 85-7 in 20 overs while Barbados replied with 86-2 in 16.1 overs with player of the match, Deandra Dottin smashing an unbeaten 43 from 28 balls.

Guyana captain, Shemaine Campbelle won the toss and elected to bat first on the slow Providence pitch. Melanie Henry and Tremayne Smartt opened the batting in the unsettled batting line-up; but Barbados tasted success early removing Smartt with the score on 5-1.

It was Smartt’s first failure with the bat in this T20 Blaze tournament when she fell for two. Two balls later, Sheneta Grimmond was bowled all ends up for a golden duck by Shanika Bruce. Henry was partnered by her captain Shemaine Campbelle as the pair found it difficult to score.
At the power-play the Guyanese were 34-2, with some discipline bowling from the Barbadians Melanie Henry was out caught off the bowling of Shakera Selman as wickets came at regular intervals.

Guyana’s leading run scorer, Campbelle skied one and was caught in the ring for 18 off the bowling of Hayley Matthews. She ended the T20 Blaze season with 165 runs; the next ball, Matthews found herself on a hat trick when she bowled the Akaze Thompson for a duck at 48-5 in 11.4 overs.
The struggle continued as Shabika Gajnabi faced 27 balls for her 12 runs hitting a lone boundary; after she was caught and bowled by Selman. Barbados dried up the runs as Fraser, who had the best strike rate by a Guyanese prior to this match, hit two fours in her 15 from 23 balls.

The Guyanese batters once more put on a poor show ending on 85-7 in 20 overs. Bowling for the Barbadians Hayley Matthews took her tournament tally to 11 wickets with an impressive haul of 2-13 from four overs, including 17 dot balls.
Windies fast bowler, Shakera Selman had 2-16 while Shamilia Connell, arguably the fastest bowler in the tournament had 1-16 while Shanika Bruce had 1-18.
In Barbados’ chase they had to work for every run; Erva Giddings took her T20 Blaze tally to 10 wickets when she removed Barbadian opener, Danielle Small for one, after facing 12 balls. The fluent Matthews, had to dig deep as the nature of the slow pitch and Guyanese bowlers stooped her in her tracks.
After scoring 15 from 30 balls, she played a false sweep shot and was caught on the juggle by Tremayne Smartt at backward square-leg. That meant the dangerous Deandra Dottin took center stage, where she dominated from the get go.
Dottin ended unbeaten on 43 from 28 balls hitting six fours and smashed two sixes included the biggest shot into the red stands. Kycia Knight finished unbeaten on 24 from 27 balls. Dottin and Knight featured in an unbroken 58-run partnership that dented the Guyanese hopes.
Barbados finished unbeaten on 86-2 in 16.1 overs; bowling for the Guyanese, Erva Giddings had 1-11 in three overs while Sheneta Grimmond had 1-18 in her three overs.