Kingston, Jamaica - A sizzling unbeaten century by Darren Bravo led defending champions Trinidad and Tobago to a thumping eight wicket win over Combined Campuses and Colleges in the opening round of the West Indies Cricket Board Regional 50 Over Tournament at the Kensington Park ground.
 
Bravo oozed unmistakable class as he spanked half a dozen delightful sixes and five fours dripping in authoritativeness in his masterful 104 as he ensured that the Trinis stamped early command on the tournament in romping to their target of 201 from just 43.1 overs and for the loss of just two wickets.
 
CCC’s new captain, Romel Currency, opted to bat upon winning the toss but then lost openers – the nervy William Perkins (14) playing his first regional game out of Trinidad colours and Omar Phillips (5) – with the score on 24. A 114 run third wicket partnership between Floyd Reifer who, cruelly, fell one run short of a century, and Currency who himself missed a landmark by one run kept the innings intact but a total of 200 for 8 from 50 overs was not adequate for the star studded T&T batting line up.
 
Reifer’s 99 came off 108 balls and included six fours and a pair of mighty sixes but Currency chewed up 104 deliveries in getting 49 which contained just a pair of fours and thus caused the CCC innings to stutter through the middle stages.
 
The pair took the score to 138 before Currency fell in the 41st over. When they needed the last ten overs to generate a bulk of runs CCC lost a flurry of wickets towards the end of the innings to move from 138 for 3 to 197 for 7 and then 200 for 8. Reifer played a mature, composed innings but was not afraid to take the attack to the bowlers and targeted medium pacer Dwayne Bravo at times. His two sixes over mid wicket were stand out shots but as he tried to reach triple figures he was taken at long off.
 
Ravi Rampaul was the pick of the Trini bowlers with 4 for 36 while Kieron Pollard took 2 for five in his only over.
 
When T&T responded they lost surprise opener Dwayne Bravo early on for 4 (to Gilford Moore) but the younger Bravo – unsurprisingly named the Man of the Match later on – and Adrian Barath put on 59 for the second wicket. Barath played with consummate ease and expert timing as he got up to 41 (66 balls, 2x4, 1x6) before he pulled Boris Hutchinson to Moore on the square leg boundary.
 
There was no further success for the college lads as Bravo and Captain Daren Ganga (36 not out from 60 balls, 3x4) marched to victory.

CCC-200 for 8 from 50 overs: Floyd Reifer 99; Romel Currency 49
Ravi Rampaul 4 for 38; Kieron Pollard 2 for 5; Dwayne Bravo 1 for 50 and Samuel Badree 1 for 37

Trinidad and Tobago-201 for 2 in 43.1 overs: Daren Bravo 104*; Adrain Barath 41 and Daren Ganga 36 not out
Gifford 1 for 50 and Hutchinson 1 for 20