Knight, Joseph shine in Women’s Super50

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC):

A maiden List A hundred from Kyshona Knight and a destructive spell from her international teammate Qiana Joseph marked the third round of matches in the West Indies Women’s Super50 Cup yesterday in St Kitts.

Left-hander Knight slammed 144 and set up defending champions Barbados for a commanding 205-run win against Jamaica Women to remain unbeaten, and left-arm spinner Joseph followed up a handy knock with a career-best six for 20 from her allotted 10 overs, but failed to inspire Windward Islands Women and Trinidad and Tobago Women beat them by two wickets.

In easily the most competitive match of the day, Guyana Women held their nerve to take a one-run win against hosts Leeward Islands Women, after a career-best 74 from Amanda Edwards threatened to take the match away from them.

The results meant that Barbados have now solely assumed the top position in the standings on 12 points, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) and Windwards have eight points each, Jamaica and Guyana have four points each, and Leewards are yet to win a match and have no points.

AT CONAREE SPORTS CLUB: Knight hit 19 fours and one six from 119 balls and led Barbados to 318 for eight from their 50 overs after they chose to bat.

Leg-spinner Keila Elliott followed up with four for 19 from 5.4 overs, and Jamaica were bowled out for 113 in 28.4 overs, batting one player short because former West Indies Women’s captain Stafanie Taylor was injured while fielding.

The wickets of openers Rashada Williams and Keneisha Ferron to West Indies Women’s pacer Shamilia Connell in each of her first two overs, respectively, set the Jamaicans back early, and the Barbadians, led by Elliott, tightened the screws.

West Indies pair of Chedean Nation, with 32, and Natasha McLean, with 27, led the way for Jamaica, but there was little support around them to make a fight of the contest.

Batting at three, Knight shared three successive half-century partnerships that was the cornerstone of the innings after her twin sister Kycia fell cheaply in the first over.

She put on 77 with West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews, 86 with international teammate Aaliyah Alleyne, and 85 with Trishan Holder, another international, before off-spinner Vanessa Watts bowled her in the 43rd over.

Holder supported with 36, Matthews, the Barbados captain, made 31, Alisa Scantlebury got 27, and Alleyne added 18.

Pacer Neisha-Ann Waisome was the most successful Jamaica bowler with three for 65 from her 10 overs, and newcomer Nicole Campbell got two for 39 from 10 overs.

AT WARNER PARK: Edwards hit 11 fours from 124 balls and had Leewards well placed in a chase of 168 for victory.

No other Leewards batsman followed her example, and she was stumped off international off-spinner Sheneta Grimmond with 16 needed from the final 12 balls trying to keep her side on track.

With three wickets standing, the Leewards still stood a chance, but West Indies Women’s pacer Shakibi Gajnabi drew on her experience in the final over and got Tynetta McKoy leg before wicket for 13 with the third-last ball, and Tonya Martin, the bowling hero for the hosts earlier in the day, was run out off the final delivery of the innings trying to seal the deal.

Gajnabi had earlier given her side a target to defend with a top score of 49 and international teammate Kaysia Schultz made 25, and the Guyanese posted 167 for nine from their 50 overs.

Martin was the pick of the Leewards bowlers with four for 36 from her allotted 10 overs.