The one year and five months wait for a victory at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, finally ended yesterday, when the T&T Red Force claimed its first victory, a First Class win at the Tarouba, San Fernando venue.
The Red Force was able to humble the Jamaica Scorpions by 85 runs to win its final match of the 2019 West Indies Four-day championship to finish fourth, two spots better than the team's last-place finish in 2018.
The maiden First-Class match at this venue was played from November 2 to 5, 2013. Since then the Red Force has played six matches at the venue losing five on the trot before their victory yesterday.
The Scorpions set a victory target of 338 runs was bowled out for 252. During the chase, however, Brandon King had a chance to show his class, as he kept the T&T team nervy with a brilliant 133.
Pacer Shannon Gabriel grabbed an early wicket that of Garth Garvey and it looked as if the local boys would have had it all their way. At the lunch break, the score read 80/4 with Anderson Phillip making a double strike. After lunch, King launched an attack on the local spinners hitting them to all parts of the park. Ramdin was forced to pull Imran Khan and Kharey Pierre out of the attack.
Khan finished the season with 42 wickets as Red Force leading wicket-taker after capturing three for 48 in Jamaica's second innings and one for 71.
King attacked and got good support from Paul Palmer as they pushed towards an unlikely victory. At the tea break, the Jamaicans were still in the match as they needed a further129 runs from a possible 45 overs with four wickets in hand.
At this point, Khan turned the match one final time in his team's favour, as he sent back King for 133. The classy right-hander faced just 119 balls, hitting 18 fours and four sixes.
Khan then went through the tail and at 4.42 pm the elusive victory came.
Just before the end, the game became a bit farcical as the local players were running quickly into position and trying to finish the overs very quickly as they were seven overs behind the over rate. It was as if they didn't want to take the final wicket before they could have rushed in a few overs. An over was being sent down in an average of one minute 21 seconds.
Earlier, Red Force resumed on the bedtime position of 282 for nine and their innings ended within 17 minutes of play getting underway. Shannon Gabriel gave Nicholson Gordon his ninth wicket in the match, leaving Jason Mohammed unbeaten on 110. Red Force fell for 295 - giving the Scorpions a victory target of 338.
SCORES
RED FORCE 389 (Jason Mohammed 94, Kyle Hope 64, Jeremy Solozano 63, Denesh Ramdin 41, Khary Pierre 31; Nicholson Gordon 7-70) and 295 (Jason Mohammed 110 not out, Kyle Hope 47, Odean Smith 30; Jermaine Blackwood 3-39, Akeem Fraser 3-56, Nkrumah Bonner 2-72).
SCORPIONS 347 (Jermaine Blackwood 66, Nkrumah Bonner 61, Brandon King 59, Paul Palmer 30; Anderson Philip 5-74, Shannon Gabriel 3-51) and 252 (Brandon King 133, John Campbell 25; Imran Khan 3-48, Odean Smith 3-56, Anderson Philip 2-54).