Windward’s First Division have been declared winners of the BCA First Division League competition after winning their match against Police by 4 wickets on Sunday. Chasing a score of 305 set by Police on the first day, Windward got off to a rocky start with their first innings, losing 4 wickets for just 51 runs in 12 overs, and had only managed to make 105/6 twelve overs later. However, Chad Williams and Maxwell Lewis formed an 83 run partnership, taking the score to 188/7 in the 37th over when Lewis was Leg Before Wicket scoring 66 runs off 66 balls, bringing player coach Jafari Toppin to join Williams in the middle. When play ended on the second day, the score was 248/7, with Williams 58 not out and Toppin 30 not out.
Play resumed on Sunday with Windward requiring 58 runs to gain first innings points with three wickets in hand, but Williams would be bowled by Rasheed Padmore having added just 5 runs to his total, the score now 265/8. Matthew Alleyne joined Toppin and kept “Toppz” on strike when possible, the pair taking the score to 293/9 in the 52nd over when Alleyne was out LBW having just 3 runs from 6 balls faced, bringing Akobi Crichlow-Byer to the pitch. With 13 runs required, the pair of Toppin and Crichlow-Byer carried the score to 316 when Crichlow-Byer was caught by Venice Vaughn at the start of the 55th over. Police startet their second innings, with just an 11 run deficit.
The bowling attack of spinners Alleyne, Crichlow-Byer, Tennyson Roach Jr., and Williams held the lawmen to 149 all out in 29 overs, Alleyne taking 4-41 and Williams 2-2. Shakeem Blades who opened the new ball and bowled medium pace took 2-69, while Crichlow-Byer and Roach took a wicket a piece, putting the Lucas Street Lads in a good position for their second innings, requiring 139 runs to win.
Latrell “Buffy” Greenidge and Naje Bishop opened the second innings for the Green & Gold, and quickly put up a score of 65 runs in the 8th over when Greenidge was caught, having made 29 runs off 29 balls, bringing Roach to join Bishop. Two overs later, Bishop would be caught by Vaughn, having scored 33 runs off 24 balls, Windward now needing 57 runs, with Blades coming to the crease. Two overs later, Blades was dismissed for 14 runs off 7 balls, bringing Williams to join Roach with 35 runs required to win the match. Williams however would lose his wicket on the first ball, bringing Lewis to the crease. Roach’s wicket was next to fall when he was caught having made 23 from 10 balls, the score now 117/5 with light fading fast. Lewis was next to go just 2 balls later, the score now 118/6, with Toppin and captain Rico Wiggins at the crease. When umpires pulled stumps at 5:30pm, they then penalised the Police team with 32 penalty runs for an extremely slow over rate and unnecessarily delaying the game, giving Windward the win by 4 wickets, and securing their spot at the top of the First Division table with 134 points, from 6 wins and 2 draws, 36 points ahead of Carlton, with a maximum of 20 points available from the final match which starts next weekend. Police are in third place, just 7 points behind Carlton, and face Isolation Cavaliers.
Windward will be promoted to the Elite Division next season, where they will likely join Wanderers, Wildey, YMPC, Yorkshire, Pickwick, Spartan, Gladiola, Empire and BCA Youth.
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