Gladiola are Super Cup champions

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By Adriel ‘Woody’ Richard

BWU-Super Blend Gladiola are the champions of the BCA Super Cup.

Discarded Barbados and West Indies pacer Miguel Cummins followed up half-centuries from stalwart Randy Thomas and left-handed opener Shomario De Peiza with a destructive opening spell to propel the Rices, St Philip-based side to a 127-run win under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method against Wildey in the rain-affected final on Saturday.

Cummins ended with three for 12 from four overs, and Wildey, chasing a revised target of 249 off 24 overs because of two breaks for adverse weather, were dismissed for 122 in 17.5 overs in the match at the picturesque KMV Oval in St Andrew.

Left-arm spinner Matthew Jones supported with two for 21 from 1.5 overs, and former Barbados and West Indies off-spinner Ashley Nurse captured two for 35 from five overs.

Carlos Maynard led the way for Wildey with 44, and his captain Jerome Jones made 21, but no other batsman reached 20.

Wildey were put under early pressure when Demetrius Richards, their most prolific batsman in the tournament, was caught at third man off Cummins for four, and United States batsman Aaron Jones was run out for a duck without facing a ball in a horrible mix-up with West Indies Under-19 batsman Joshua Dorne in the next over.

They were 10 for two, and Cummins tightened the screws in his second over when he got Dorne caught behind for six, and former Barbados and West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite, surprisingly batting at five, endured a similar fate when he fell for a four-ball duck in the third over from the pacer.

Wildey slumped to 17 for four and continued to bleed wickets around the two breaks for rain that reduced the chase to 34 overs and then a further 10, and Gladiola simply only had to hold their nerves and their breaths and try to complete a minimum of 20 to formalise the outcome in between the showers.

Jones brought the match to a close when he trapped Deswin Currency lbw for four with 37 balls remaining.

The result meant that Gladiola, formerly known as Cable & Wireless, BET, and LIME, are the double white-ball champions for the 2023-24 season after they beat Bayview Hospital YMPC by five wickets to win the BCA Twenty20 Cup last June.

Earlier, Thomas struck two fours and two sixes in the top score of 62 off 76 balls, and De Peiza gathered 50 from 78 balls that included three fours and two sixes.

Thomas, who was dropped on 21 by Jayden Roberts at extra cover off the left-arm spin of Currency in the 18th over, shared 85 for the second wicket with De Peiza that was the bedrock of the Gladiola total of 294 all out from their 50 overs after they were sent in to bat on a hard, easy-paced pitch under cloudy to sunny skies.

Left-hander Jones supported with 49 that helped him earn the Player-of-the-Match award, and former Barbados and West Indies Under-19 batsman Giovonte De Peiza made 35.

Wildey captain Jerome Jones was the pick of the bowlers for his side with three for 46 from 10 overs, and Brathwaite took three for 78 from 10 overs.

SCOREBOARD

GLADIOLA

1. de Peiza c Currency b Motara 50
2. Nurse c wk Richards b J. Jones 17
3. Thomas run out 62

+R. Clarke c Motara b O’Neale 12

*G. de Peiza c Motara b Roberts 35

1. Jones c Maynard b Brathwaite 49
2. Nurse c A. Jones b Brathwaite 13
3. Phillips not out 13
4. Harte c Dorne b J. Jones 10
5. Cummins b Jones 2
6. Griffith b Brathwaite 1

Extras (b3, lb5, w17, nb5) 30

TOTAL (all out, 50 overs) 294

Fall of wickets: 1-26 (M. Nurse, 6.5 overs); 2-111 (S. de Peiza, 23.1); 3-143 (Clarke, 30.1); 4-177 (Thomas, 36.1); 5-226 (de Peiza, 42.2); 6-254 (Jones, 43.4); 7-263 (A. Nurse, 45.1); 8-280 (Harte, 46.6); 9-289 (Cummins) 48.5.

Bowling: Jones 10-1-46-3 (nb1, w4); O’Neale 10-0-40-1 (w5); Roberts 6-0-52-1 (nb4, w2); Currency 7-0-34-0; Brathwaite 10-0-78-3 (w6); Motara 7-0-36-1.

WILDEY (target: 249 off 24 overs)

+D. Richards c Thomas b Cummins 4

1. Dorne c wk Clarke b Cummins 6
2. Jones run out 0
3. Bolden c wk Clarke b Nurse 10
4. Brathwaite c wk Clarke b Cummins 0
5. Maynard run out 44

*J. Jones c De Peiza b Phillips 21

1. Roberts lbw b Nurse 8
2. Currency lbw b Jones 8
3. O’Neale c (sub) Lovell b Jones 0
4. Motara not out 2

Extras (b4, lb8, w7) 19

TOTAL (all out, 17.5 overs) 122

Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Richards, 0.6 overs); 2-10 (A. Jones, 1.6); 3-10 (Dorne, 2.3); 4-17 (Brathwaite, 4.1); 5-31 (Bolden, 7.2); 6-62 (J. Jones, 10.5); 7-89 (Roberts, 13.4); 8-115 (Maynard, 15.5); 9-115 (O’Neale, 15.6).

Bowling: Cummins 4-2-12-3 (w1); Harte 2-0-13-0 (w1); A. Nurse 5-0-35-2 (w1); Phillips 5-0-29-1 (w4); Jones 1.5-0-21-2.

Result: Gladiola won by 126 runs (DLS).

Series: Gladiola won the Super50 Cup.

Toss: Wildey.

Player-of-the-Match: M. Jones (Gladiola).

Umpires: T. Prescott, K. Taitt.

Match referee: S. Wall.

Reserve umpire: A. Holder.

(AR)