By Travis Seymour
In a closely contested match at Warner Park in St Kitts, the Guyana senior women’s cricket team suffered a narrow defeat to Leeward Islands by four runs on Thursday, marking their second loss in the ongoing Cricket West Indies T20 Blaze tournament.
After winning the toss and electing to field first, Guyana’s bowlers put in a commendable effort, restricting Leeward Islands women to 104 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
Divya Saxena top-scored for Leeward Islands with a steady 42 runs.
Guyana’s bowling attack was led by Nyia Latchman, Sheneta Grimmond, and Ashmini Munisar, who each claimed two wickets, while Cherry-Ann Fraser and Plaffianna Millington also chipped in with a wicket apiece.
In the chase, Guyana got off to a solid start with Shabika Gajnabi’s 44 off 52 balls at the top of the order.
However, wickets fell at regular intervals thereafter, with Sheneta Grimmond, Mandy Mangru, and Shemaine Campbelle contributing with brief cameos.
Despite being well-placed at 86 for 3, Guyana’s fortunes took a downturn after losing crucial wickets in quick succession.
Jahzara Claxton’s three-wicket burst reduced them from 86 for 3 to 100 for 7.
Despite their efforts, Guyana women failed to recover and finished on 100 for 9 at the end of their innings, falling short of the target by just four runs.
In other matches on Thursday, Trinidad and Tobago women secured a narrow two-wicket victory over Windward Islands, while Jamaica comfortably defeated Barbados by six wickets.
With this win, Jamaica sits at the top of the standings with three victories in as many matches, followed by Trinidad and Tobago and Leeward Islands in second and third place, respectively, each with two wins.
The Cricket West Indies T20 Blaze tournament continues to deliver thrilling cricket action, with teams vying for supremacy in the competition.