Kingston, Jamaica - Jamaica recorded the biggest and most impressive win of the WICB Regional 50 Over Tournament when the hammered the hapless Combined Campuses & Colleges at Kensington Park, on Monday.
 
Needing a big win to rise to second in Group A, the home side made a whopping 285-8 off their overs and then shot out the students for a mere 78 off 30.1 overs. The morale-boosting victory, along with the fact that Trinidad and Tobago lost of Windward Islands, meant that Jamaica have qualified for Friday’s semi-final against Barbados.
 
It was a total team performance on National Heroes Day, but 22-year-old Andre Russell stood out as the day’s hero and he won the Player-of-the-Match award. Full of confidence and backed by a large crowd, he made a blazing 46 not out off just 22 balls to give the innings a late charge.
 
He then opened the bowling and took two wickets in his first two overs to end with 2-14 from four overs. He also held a comfortable catch at mid-off and topped off the day’s entertainment with a rocket throw from short fine-leg to run out CCC skipper Romel Currency.
 
Jamaica’s innings was given a rollicking start of 130 at a run-a-ball by skipper Chris Gayle and Xavier Marshall. Gayle smashed four boundaries and four sixes – all of which sailed out of the ground. He made 72 while Marshall, who fell for a “duck” in the previous match, made amends with a stroke-filled 75.
 
CCC was never in the hunt. Opener Miles Bascombe top scored with 37 from 76 balls and the only other double-figure score came from tail ender Gilford Moore, who got 16 – including a straight six. Russell made the initial breakthrough and all the other bowlers chipped in.
 
Seamer David Bernard continued to prove his worth with 3-33, while the leg-spinner Odean Brown (5-2-3-2) and left-arm orthodox Nikita Miller (6.1-2-8-2) proved too much for the timid CCC batsmen.

Points Table
 
GROUP A 
         
Team  Played
Wins   Loss Tie NR BONUS PT   Pts
Windward Islands 3 3 0 0 0     13
Jamaica 3 1 1 0 1 1   7
Trinidad and Tobago 3 1 1 0 1     6
CCC 3 0 3 0 0     0
                
GROUP B              
Barbados 2 2 0 0 0     9
Guyana 2 1 1 0 0     4
Sagicor HPC 2 0 1 0 1     2
Leeward Islands 2 0 1 0 1     2
                

Remaining matches:

Tuesday October 19th

BD v Sagicor HPC - TMPS (Norman Malcolm & Peter Nero. Goland Greaves - 3rd)
LI v GY - Sabina Park (Vivian Johnson & J Wilson. Lennox Abraham - 3rd)
 
Thursday October 21st
Semi Final 1: Group A 1 v Group B 2 - Sabina Park (Umpires TBA)
 
Friday October 22nd
Semi Final 2: Group B 1 v Group A 2- TMPS (Umpires TBA)
 
Sunday October 24th
FINAL: Winner of SF 1 v Winner of SF 2 - Sabina Park (Umpires TBA)
 

END