Richards holds nerve to pilot Pride past Harpy Eagles in thriller

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Demetrius Richards scored a patient, unbeaten half-century to ensure that Barbados Pride remained at the top of the table of the Regional Super50 with a tense one-wicket victory over the Guyana Harpy Eagles at Queen’s Park Oval yesterday.

Richards scored 65 not out from 121 balls to anchor the Pride’s innings as his side overhauled the Harpy Eagles’ total of 203, finishing on 204 for nine off 49.3 overs.

It was the Pride’s third successive win of the tournament, with their 31 points now 10 more than second-place Trinidad & Tobago Red Force – the defending champions – who have a game in hand.

The Harpy Eagles’ miserable campaign continued as they suffered their second loss in two matches and are yet to win a game.

They seemed to be on the verge of their first victory after reducing the Pride to 115 for six, thanks mainly to the efforts of left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd, who ran through their top order.

Nedd bowled opener Kadeem Alleyne for four, Zachary McCaskie for 18, and last game century-maker Kevin Wickham for a two-ball duck to reduce the Pride to 45 for three in the ninth over.

And things got worse for the Pride when veteran spinner Veerasammy Permaul bowled Leniko Boucher for 29 to leave them tottering on 58 for four.

Captain Kyle Mayers (22) and Dominic Drakes, who made 13, had brief stints at the crease before Kevin Sinclair and Keemo Paul accounted for their respective wickets.

But Richards and Nyeem Young solidified the innings in a 65-run partnership for the seventh wicket that swung the momentum in their favour.

Just as the pair looked set to take the Pride to victory, Young missed an ambitious pull shot and was bowled by Tagenarine Chanderpaul for 30 from 48 balls to make it 170 for seven in the 44th over.

Kemar Smith looked positive, but after scoring 12 runs, his slog sweep off Kevlon Anderson picked out Chanderpaul at deep square leg as the match headed for an exciting finish at 187 for eight.

Sensing a need to score quickly, Richards hit Anderson and Paul for boundaries off successive overs to bring the equation down to nine runs from the final over.

Richards picked up two runs from Paul’s first delivery, but then Jomel Warrican was run out off the next ball as he attempted a second run to leave the score 198 for nine.

However, Richards kept his composure to hit Paul’s next delivery for four and then finished the match by picking up a single off a no-ball.

Nedd was the pick of Guyana’s bowlers with 3-43 from his 10 overs.

Earlier, an all-around bowling effort by the Pride helped to restrict the Harpy Eagles to a modest total.

Leg-spinner Javed Leacock picked up three wickets while Warrican, Young, and Drakes grabbed two wickets apiece.

The Harpy Eagles were actually cruising at 105 for two at one stage when Anderson, who scored a defiant 52, and Tevin Imlach, who made 35, were at the crease.

Leacock made the breakthrough when he dismissed Imlach, and the Harpy Eagles lost their next six wickets for 68 runs as their middle and lower order provided little resistance.