Five wickets for Afy Fletcher and a half-century from Jannillea Glasgow guided the Windward Islands to an easy win by eight wickets over the Leeward Islands to open the CG United Women’s Super50 Cup on Monday.
The Windwards, led by Saint Lucia’s Zaida James, got their victory at the St Paul’s Sports Complex in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis.
Windward Islands Women won the toss and elected to field first. After a hot start, occasioned by a former Windward Islands player, the Leeward Islands were held to 93 all out.
Saint Lucia’s Qiana Joseph, who now resides in St Kitts and Nevis, hit a four and a six in getting to 13 runs from 15 balls at the top of the order. The dismissal of the hard-hitting West Indies opener in the fourth over did not have an immediate effect on the run rate, however, as Melicia Clarke, Divya Saxena, and Reniece Boyce picked up the scoring.
Saxena hit nine from 11, whilst Clarke hit a demure 23 from 66 balls. By the time those two were out, the latter run out by Windward Islands captain Zaida James, the score was 69-3 at the beginning of the 20th over.
The turning point for the innings, though, was the removal of Boyce for 24 in the 23rd over. Thereafter, Fletcher and the Windward Islanders ran through the Leewards innings. From 82-4, the Leewards lost the last six wickets for just 11 runs.
The 37-year-old Fletcher captured 5-15 from seven overs with her off-spin to earn player-of-the-match honours, Amiah Gilbert took 2-25 from seven, and there were wickets for Pearl Etienne and Jannillea Glasgow.
In the first over of the Windward Islands’ reply, Jahzara Claxton did for Japhina Joseph, but the West Indies pair of James and Glasgow set to work to build the innings. James made 21 from 32 balls, with three fours. She went with the score at 55 in the 10th over, and Windwards in a strong position. Glasgow’s half-century, meanwhile, came in just 40 balls. The 21-year-old hit her 11th boundary to get to 53.
The Vincentian Glasgow finished on an unbeaten 55 from 44 balls, whilst Grenada’s Fletcher hit six from six, including the winning runs, to finish the chase in only 13.5 overs. Windward Islands will brace for what should be a much tougher challenge when they face a youthful Barbados team, led by Aaliyah Alleyne, on Wednesday at Warner Park.
