West Indies off-spinner Ashley Nurse smashed a half-century and also shone with the ball, while fast bowler Akeem Jordan produced an incisive four-wicket haul, as Sir Wes Hall XI upset the previously undefeated Sir Garry Sobers XI by 24 runs in the final of the Barbados Cricket Association Legends Cup on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old Nurse, who played for West Indies as recently as last year, crunched 55 from 35 deliveries to propel Sir Wes Hall XI up to 238 for nine at Kensington Oval.
Discarded West Indies batsman, Kyle Hope, chipped in with a patient 44 off 88 balls at the top of the order while all-rounder Shamar Springer struck a breezy unbeaten 43 off 54 deliveries.
Pacers Jair McAllister (2-18) and Nyeem Young (2-27), along with left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop (2-40) all finished with two wickets each.
In reply, number nine Chad Williams top-scored with exactly 50 off 47 balls while West Indies stroke-maker Shai Hope, already with two hundreds in the competition, hit 37 and Nicholas Kirton, 36.
However, Jordan tore through the innings to finish with four for 13 from his eight-and-a-half overs while Nurse supported well with three for 41, as favourites Sir Garry Sobers XI were reduced to 214 all out in the 47th over.
Sent in, Sir Wes Hall XI slumped to 14 for two in the fifth over after losing both openers Rashidi Boucher (4) and Shian Brathwaite (8) cheaply.
Brathwaite perished in the third over when he missed a booming drive at McAllister and was bowled while Boucher skied a catch to cover in the bowler’s next over.
Kyle Hope, the older brother of Shai, then anchored two small stands in an attempt to keep the innings alive as wickets fell around him.
First, he put on 38 for the third wicket with captain Jonathan Carter who made 26 off 38 balls with five fours before gifting his wicket, slashing an innocuous delivery from off-spinner Kirton to short backward point.
He was one of three wickets to fall for 17 runs in the space of 41 balls leaving Sir Wes Hall XI tottering on 69 for five in the 20th over but Hope partnered with Joshua Drakes (16) to add a further 41 for the sixth wicket.
When Drakes edged a cut at off-spinner Chaim Holder and was caught at slip in the 32nd over, Hope eventually followed in the 37th over after striking a single four.
Drakes and Hope were two of three wickets to go down for 29 runs as wicketkeeper Tevyn Walcott fell cheaply for four, but Nurse came to his side’s rescue at 139 for eight in the 39 over, blasting five fours and four sixes in posting 90 for the ninth wicket with Springer who struck three fours.
Jordan then stunned the Sir Garry Sobers XI top order removing both openers Leniko Boucher (4) and Zachary McCaskie (0) in his second over – the fourth of the innings – and when Jonathan Drakes (1) gloved West Indies seamer Miguel Cummins (2-39) behind, the innings slumped to 11 for three in the seventh over.
Shai Hope and Kirton then came together in the best stand of the innings, posting 78 for the fourth wicket to revive the run chase.
While Hope hit four fours in a 36-ball stay, Kirton faced 58 deliveries and struck five fours but Nurse changed the course of the game when he struck twice in successive overs to remove both.
First he had Hope stumped, missing a charge in the 20th over and with a run added at 90 for five, Kirton followed when he edged Nurse to slip.
Young (17) and Roshon Primus (5) tried to rebuild but had only added 22 for the sixth wicket when three wickets tumbled for seven runs in the space of 30 deliveries.
Primus played back to Cummins and was lbw in the 25th over, Joshua Bishop (1) punched Jordan to mid-off in the 29th over while Young played across a straight one from Nurse and was lbw at 119 for eight in the 30th over.
Williams then arrived to hit a four and two sixes as he put on 74 for the ninth wicket with Keon Harding whose 29 came from 37 balls with three fours and a six.
The entertainment, along with the hopes of Sir Garry Sobers XI, ended when Harding was run out at the striker’s end by Justin Greaves’s direct throw, after a mix up over a quick single.
The tournament served as the trials for Barbados Pride, in preparation for next year’s Super50 Cup in Antigua.
