The first-ever Joma Caribbean T10 final will bowl off later today, the 12th of May, at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, with skippers Hayden Walsh and Kofi James competing. The two Liberta Blackhawks teammates will meet in the grand finale at 9:30 PM, with a third-place playoff happening at 7 PM between the Rockets and Hawksbills.
Both teams have had a rollercoaster ride to the final. After the tournament’s first four matches, the Chargers were last on the points table, and the Rangers, not far behind, sat in fourth place with just one win in four games. However, Walsh and James’s all-round solid performances and good leadership have taken their respective team to the final.
The Rangers relied on their captain, who was mightily important, scoring the seventh most runs in the tournament with 190 in eleven innings while scalping eleven wickets. In their comfortable semi-final win against the Hawksbills, a youthful spin attack suffocated the Justin Athanaze-led Hawksbills, restricting them to just 43 in ten overs, with the pick of the bowlers being Meandre James, who bowled 2-4 in his two overs. Young Antiguan left-arm spinner Glenton Williams continues to be a revelation with the most wickets in the tournament at 14 in eleven matches and an economy of just 5.48.
In semi-final two, Hayden Walsh and his Chargers pulled off a massive upset on the former tournament favorite, the Rockets, led by Rahkeem Cornwall. Walsh selected a young team, but his experienced management group consisting of former West Indies players Eldine Baptiste and Sylvester Joesph has found a way to inspire the team. Walsh’s Liberta teammate Amahl Nathaniel who played just one game at this year’s Cool & Smooth T20, has led the way with the bat scoring the second most runs in the tournament so far, averaging over 30 with a strike rate of 130. Orlando Peters has also chipped in with the 5th most runs and a responsible, match-winning 32 to place them into the final.
This matchup could come down to the best bowling lineup in the tournament packed with young, exciting, and skilled spinners in the Rangers up against the experienced Chargers, who also have their skipper Hayden Walsh who can provide a surge with both bat and ball. It is all to play for in the first-ever Joma Caribbean T10 final!