Trinidad and Tobago women lose to Guyana in Rising Stars U-19 opener

Defending champions Trinidad and Tobago went down by a narrow four-run margin to Guyana in the opening match of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Women's under-19 championship at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba on July 4.

In the first game of a triple-header, TT opted to bowl first and restricted Guyana to 94 four five in the allotted 20 overs. However the home team's batters couldn't quite reel in the target and they were agonisingly restricted to 90 for six in their turn at the crease.

Just seven fours and the solitary six was struck in the low-scoring affair, and the Guyanese pair of captain Realanna Grimmond (28 off 37 balls) and Nyia Latchman (25 off 27 balls) were the players who adjusted to the surface best. With Guyana dragging along at 47 for three in the 13th over, Grimmond and Latchman gave the innings much-needed impetus with a 41-run partnership off just 35 balls. Their healthy partnership was ended in the penultimate over of the innings when TT skipper Samara Ramnath (two for 11) had her opposing number Grimmond dismissed via a stumping by wicket-keeper Katrina Ruben.

Though modest, the 95-run target looked like a mountain too far to climb for the hosts as they were left reeling on 23 for five after just six overs. Right-arm medium pacer Trisha Hardat (four for 12) was the chief destroyer for Guyana as she wrecked the opposing top order with all four of her wickets coming in the power play (first six overs).

Captain Ramnath (duck) was the first to go off the second ball of the innings, with both Ruben (two) and Brianna Harricharan (duck) falling via the lbw route to Hardat in the third over. And when opener Amrita Ramtahal (five) was dismissed by spinner Danellie Manns (one for 13) in the sixth over, half the home team's side was back in the hut with a meagre 23 runs on the board.

The pair of Deliannys Espinoza (15 off 45 balls) and vice-captain Kdjazz Mitchell (14 off 28 balls) took on the challenge to repair the damage, and they took the score to 67 before Espinoza was trapped lbw by Latchman in the 18th over. The hosts needed 28 runs off the last 14 balls at the fall of Espinoza's wicket, and their task got more difficult when Mitchell was forced to retire hurt in the penultimate over after suffering a leg injury upon completing a sharp single. Mithcell was stretchered off the field.

TT needed 17 runs off the last over to grab the unlikely win, and the pair of Sameera Naidoo (12 not out off eight balls) and Kirah Manpaul (eight not out off six balls) applied pressure on the Guyanese fielders as they scrambled quick runs at every turn to get 12 runs in the over. However, neither batter could get the elusive boundary to take TT over the line. Though they limited TT to just two fours in the innings, Guyana would hope to clean up their bowling effort as they delivered over 20 wides.

TT will play their second game of the competition against Leeward Islands from 10 am at UWI Spec in St Augustine on July 6.

Summarised Scores:

GUYANA — 94/5 (Realanna Grimmond 28, Nyia Latchman 25; Samara Ramnath 2/11, Kdjazz Mitchell 1/9) vs TT — 90/6 (Deliannys Espinoza 15, Kdjazz Mitchell 14 not out; Trisha Hardat 4/12, N Latchman 1/11). Guyana won by 4 runs.