Fletcher sets up opening game win for Windwards

NORTH SOUND, Antigua (CMC):

A stroke-filled 88 from André Fletcher set the Windward Islands up for a 28-run victory in the Caribbean Twenty20 (CT20) Championship against the Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) yesterday.

Fletcher struck five fours and four sixes from 59 balls as he propelled the Windwards to the highest total in a CT20 match of 189 for three, from their allocation of 20 overs, in the opening match at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground (VRCG).

Johnson Charles supported Fletcher with 37 in a first-wicket stand of 68, and Keddy Lesporis added 34 in a second-wicket stand of 78.

Alert fielding

Steady bowling and alert fielding from the Windwards then helped them to restrict the CCC to 161 for eight from their 20 overs, with a handful of batsmen getting starts without carrying-on.

CCC captain Romel Currency top-scored for his side with 39, Miles Bascombe made 36, Floyd Reifer got 24, and Kyle Hope was not out on 21.

Meanwhile, at press time last night, Jamaica were batting after being inserted by Guyana, which won the toss, in the feature match of the opening-day double-header at the VRCG.

Currency and Bascombe are very familiar with each other, having opened the batting for the Windwards in previous years. they gave the CCC a confident start with an opening stand of 65.

Windwards face English county champions Somerset in their second match on Friday at the same venue, where the CCC meet Jamaica tomorrow.

WINDWARD ISLANDS

J. Charles lbw b Wiggins 37A. Fletcher c Reifer b Austin 88K. Lesporis b Austin 34D. Sammy not out 18+L. James not out 0Extras: (lb4, w8) 12TOTAL: (3 wkts, 20 overs) 189

D.S. Smith, L. Sebastien, G. Mathurin, M. Matthew, K. Peters, N. Pascal did not bat

Fall of wickets: 1-68, 2-146, 3-185

Bowling: Kantasingh 4-0-37-0, Moore 4-0-47-0, Bonner 3-0-34-0, Austin 4-0-34-2, Wiggins 3-0-21-1,Currency 2-0-9-0

CCC (target: 190 off 20 overs)

R. Currency c Fletcher b Sammy 39M. Bascombe run out (Sammy) 36W. Perkins b Peters 5F. Reifer b Pascal 24K. Hope not out 21N. Bonner b Matthew 15R. Wiggins run out (Mathurin) 8+C. Walton b Matthew 0G. Moore c Lesporis b Pascal 1R. Austin not out 2Extras: (lb6, w4) 10TOTAL: (8 wkts, 20 overs) 161

Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-79, 3-102, 4-112, 5-145, 6-155, 7-156, 8-157

Bowling: Mathurin 3-0-22-0, Matthew 4-0-27-2, Peters 4-0-26-1, Sammy 3-0-35-1, Sebastien 2-0-20-0, Pascal 4-0-25-2

Result: Windward Islands won by 28 runs

Points: Windward Islands 2, CCC 0

Toss: Windward Islands

Man-of-the-Match: A. Fletcher (Windward Islands)

Umpires: G. Brathwaite, J. Wilson

TV umpires: L. Kelly

Matchreferee: A. Griffith

Reserve umpires: B. Doctrove.