The West Indies Emerging Players (WIEP) won the 2019 Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 cricket title on Sunday night with a resounding victory over the Leewards Hurricanes at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.
Chasing 294 runs for victory after T&T's Leonardo Julien smacked 83, the Leewards folded meekly for just 88 runs losing the match by 205 runs and their title challenge.
As the victory neared the Emerging Players sent out for their champagne to the tune of $1880 as they celebrated a well-deserved victory. For their efforts, they ran away with the first prize of US$20,000, while the Leewards had to settle for US$10,000. T&T Red Force and Barbados Pride each took away US$5000 as losing semi-finalists.
Chasing 294 was always going to be an uphill task. The Leewards needed to get a good start and this just did not happen. They lost wickets in clusters at the top and when skipper Jahmar Hamilton failed to repeat his heroics of the semi-finals it was good night Leewards.
The bowling hero was skipper and Man of the Match Yannic Carriah, who grabbed 3 for 8 with his leg-spin, while Kevin Sinclair the other spinner took 4 for 20.
Earlier, the left-handed T&T batsman Leonardo Julien was in great form striking 83. Coming into the final with scores of one, one and one the southpaw reeled off several boundaries on his way to his first List A half-century. He was excellent on the off-side hitting the spaces regularly, as he counted boundary after boundary.
He and the talented Kimani Melius got the Emerging team off to a great start adding 62 runs in 11.4 overs before being separated. The right-handed Melius looked in fine touch before he crunched a half-tracker to Devon Thomas at mid-wicket for 28 off 34 balls including two sixes and a four.
Carriah chose the rotation of strike as his method and realised 81 for the second wicket. He saw Julien to his fifty before leaving for 34 off 51 balls including two fours. Julien was in his element, striking the ball powerfully but with a century beckoning, he drove in the air off Sheeno Berridge to fall for 83. He faced 85 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes.
Meaningful contributions towards the back end of the innings from Dominique Drakes 38 not out, Roland Cato 31 and Kevin Sinclair 28 took the total to 293/7.
SCORES
West Indies Emerging Players 293/7 (50) (Leonardo Julien 83, Yannic Carriah 34, Roland Cato 31, Kevin Sinclair 28, Dominique Drakes 38no, Sheeno Berridge 2/60, Quinton Boatswain 2/59) vs Leewards 88 all out (Amir Jangoo 20, Yannic Carriah 3/8, Kevin Sinclair 4/20). Emerging Players won by 205 runs.