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Haydn Gill at Bank Hall

Nortel XI (127) lost to Barbados (128-3) by seven wickets

Like True champions, Barbados hardly raised a sweat in romping to an early afternoon victory over the Nortel Development XI yesterday.

A day after winning the three-day championship, Ryan Hinds team launched their effort to secure the shortened version of the title by disposing of the regions reserves by seven wickets as early as 2:54 p.m.

The Nortel Development XI, who showed some promise on the way to finishing fifth in the preceding competition, flattered to deceive and within five overs they were as good as beaten.

In the end, they managed to survive until the middle of the 33rd over, but their total was never adequate and Barbados encountered no problems before arriving at their victory with more than 14 overs to spare.

They should find a tougher challenge in their semifinal contest at Queens Park against Guyana, who were commanding winners by 155 runs against the Windward Islands.

Barbados win was set up by Callitos Lopez direct fast bowling and Sulieman Benn and skipper Hinds added the final touches to an unblemished Barbados performance.

Major mayhem

Before spectators could settle into the tiny ground, Lopez had caused major mayhem, twice knocking back the stumps of batsmen who were beaten for sheer pace and once finding the outside edge with an almost unplayable delivery that moved away on pitching.

By then, the Nortel XI, sent in on an ideal pitch devoid of grass, were reeling on 18 for four in the fifth over.

Samuel Badree and Ryan Nurse launched a counter-attack, but they were unable to sustain their brisk scoring so that by the time both were gone seven wickets were down before the innings reached the half-way stage.

Badree made 48 off 57 balls with nine powerfully-struck threes and a four before the Trinidadian clipped a catch to mid-wicket off Hinds tidy left-arm spin.

It was he and Barbadian Nurse who ensured that the 100 was posted in the 20th over, but the Nortel XIs position was not helped by the fact that they lost so many early wickets.

Krisha Arjune, their leading run-scorer in the three-day competition, was run out in the first over and Lopez added to their woes by despatching little Jason Gilkes to a keepers catch and shattering the stumps of Jamaicans Donovan Pagan and Shane Powell.

As Badree launched his assault against Antonio Thomas and Vonrick Nurse, captain Randy Graham helped him add 34, but the most significant partnership of the innings was 48 in 8.2 overs between Badree and Nurse.

Nurse departed a few overs after Badree when he edged a cut off Benn and was out for 32 off only 26 balls. It was the first four wickets for Benn, who had earlier watched Nurse clout him out of the ground.

Having wrapped the innings 15 minutes before noon, Barbados were given 14 overs before the scheduled lunch break and in that period they rattled up 62 runs thanks mainly to Dwayne Smiths typical aggression.

Smith, promoted to No. 3 because of his no-nonsense approach, twice hit the ball out of the ground in a run-a-ball 24 before falling lbw to Grahams flat, fast leg-spin to the very first ball on resumption.

Opener Jason Parris overcame an unimpressive start to make 36 and captain Hinds saw Barbados to victory with a solid 43.