St Elizabeth win JCA T20 title

Despite the availability of lights at the Sabina Park venue, the Jamaica Cricket Association T20 bashment final ended prematurely by bad light as St Elizabeth emerged champions over the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) by 10 runs under the Duckworth, Lewis & Stern method.

Chasing a formidable total of 183 to win, JDF were 139 for six in 17 overs when umpires Jacqueline Williams and Chris Wright decided that the natural lighting had got progressively worse and called off the contest.

That decision did not sit well with JDF captain Leighton Leslie, who was at the crease when the umpires decided that it was too dark to continue.

“I am very disappointed to know that this is a final of one of the premier cricket events in the country and bad light has to stop play. It is very poor. This is the home of cricket, and it wasn’t even six o’clock and the game was called off. We have four big flood lights here, so it doesn’t make any sense,” said Leslie.

With the decision going in his favour, winning captain Damian Ebanks was overjoyed that his team could secure another title.

“It’s a very good feeling to win because St Elizabeth have not lifted a JCA trophy for a long time. As the lighting got poor, I knew we were not going to finish 20 overs, so I told my guys that once we stay in front we would win. Hats off to my team for going undefeated throughout the season.”

It was Ebanks who put in a Man of the Final performance to first help his team to a competitive score of 183 for seven. Ebanks came to the crease with St Elizabeth in trouble at 20 for three in the sixth over.

The left-handed Ebanks hit a top score of 56 from 42 balls with three fours and five sixes before he was run out in the final over.

Before that, he and Andre McCarthy, who made 24, added 89 runs for the fourth wicket, before putting on another 73 runs with veteran Troy Powell, who smashed an unbeaten 55 from just 19 balls with seven fours and four sixes.

National fast bowler Gordon Bryan was the pick of the bowlers for the JDF with three for 25 while Richard Young picked up two wickets.

The JDF kept themselves in the game thanks to a fighting 44 from 43 balls from Deethmar Anderson, who hit four fours and two sixes.

He got good support from Bryan, who made 28 and Dennis Bulli 19, but when they fell at 125 for six, so, too, did the run rate, which worked in favour of the St. Elizabeth team before the game was called off.