T&T book spot in 4-Day final with 140-run win over Barbados

Guyana get innings win over WI Academy in warm-up action 

T&T 333 & 280 (Cooper 102, Khary Pierre 64; Bishop 6-87) defeat Pride 296 & 177 (Moseley 39, Springer 25; Pierre 5-54) by 140 runs

The Trinidad and Tobago Red Force are through to the West Indies Championship final after defeating the Barbados Pride by 140 runs on a thrilling final day in their playoff contest at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua and Barbuda. 

Needing 318 runs in just about two sessions for victory, the Pride recovered from the early loss of Kraigg Brathwaite, nicked off by Jayden Seales for 4, with an even 50-run second-wicket stand between Shayne Moseley (39) and Jonathan Drakes (14).

They would then, however, lose five wickets for 76 runs, as Khary Pierre and Bryan Charles spun through the middle and lower order. 

A 37-run seventh-wicket partnership between Shamar Springer (25) and Leniko Boucher (20) provided a glimmer of hope for the Pride before Pierre (5/54) and Charles (4/62) completed the win for the Red Force, accounting for nine wickets between them.

T&T earlier added 71 runs to their overnight total to begin the day, losing their three remaining wickets to be dismissed for 280 in 97.4 overs. Khary Pierre, who resumed batting on nine, notched a half-century (64) and shared a crucial 61-run tenth-wicket stand with Seales (9*).

Centurion Cephas Cooper (102) added just one to his overnight score, while Joshua Bishop completed his five-wicket haul, claiming 6 for 87. Roston Chase grabbed 3 for 67. 

Harpy Eagles 663 all out (Nandu 237, van Lange 133; Motara 6-202) beat WI Academy 485 & 157 (Dindyal 41, Depeiza 34; Looknauth 6-36) by an innings and 21 runs

The Guyana Harpy Eagles will enter the final with confidence, having claimed an innings and 21-run win against the West Indies Academy in their warm-up encounter over at the Antigua Recreation Ground. 

With victory unlikely for the Academy men, who first needed to erase the 178-run first-innings deficit, spinner Richie Looknauth turned away any hopes they had of securing a draw with impressive figures of 6 for 36. 

Mavendra Dindyal led the Academy scorers with 41, as Giovonte Depeiza contributed 34. Gudakesh Motie (2/27) and Thaddeus Lovell (2/56) claimed two wickets apiece for the Harpy Eagles.

Guyana had earlier lost their remaining two wickets for just eight runs to be dismissed for 663 in 160.3 overs, responding to the Academy’s first-innings total of 485.

The final is set to bowl off on Sunday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.