By Isaac Lockett
The final day of the 2023 Cool and Smooth T20 was upon us, and fans were going to see who would lift the trophy after 14 days of spectacular action set against the stunning backdrop of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Before the final, the bronze medal match saw the Pigotts Crushers take on the Bolans Blasters. During the group stage, the Crushers won the fixture by 105 runs, but another one-sided match seemed unlikely. After batting their opponents out of the game last time, Crushers captain Elroy Francis won the toss and elected to bat. But it would be the Blasters who would start the game on the front foot, dismissing both opening batters within the first two overs. Martin Caesar impressed with the ball for the Blasters finishing with figures of 2-23 from four overs, claiming the early wicket of Francis (3 off 7) but was then made to wait before picking up his second wicket. Jewel Andrew and Leniko Boucher combined for a partnership of 96 off 62 balls to stabilise the Crushers’ inning. Andrew has been one of the finds of the tournament and brought up his third half-century of the tournament as he claimed the second spot on the run chart after his inning of 64 off 52. Boucher played the aggressor in the partnership scoring 42 off 26, ensuring that the Crushers’ had a launching pad to set a challenging total. Cameos from Kadeem Henry (20 off 16) and Demari Benta (27 off 15) saw the batting side post 171-6.
The Blasters were missing Scotland captain Richie Berrington, their star batter throughout the tournament scoring 256 runs. This loss meant that Rowan Watkins Jr was playing in only his second game of the tournament opening the batting with an in-form Kerry Mentore. Unfortunately for the Blasters, Mentore was dismissed early in the reply for eight off 12 balls by Demari Benta (1-7). The Crushers’ bowlers were able to make scoring difficult for the Blasters, with the run rate ever climbing as Tremors Athley finished with 1-15 from his four-over spell during his first match of the tournament. Watkins Jr (27 off 32), Gavin Williams (28 off 17) and Derek Mourillon (26 off 27) were the only batters to reach double figures as the Blasters ran out of time, finishing with 129-6 from their 20 overs. The Pigotys Crushers finished third in the tournament after their 42-run victory.
After the Crushers’ victory, attention then turned to the tournament finale. The Liberta Blackhawks had only lost one game in three years and were defending champions; however, the Jennings Tigers proved that during 2023 the team was not unbeatable. The question for the Nation would be how their batting order would cope with the spin-bowling attack of the Blackhawks, as this is where many teams had come unstuck this season.
After deciding to bowl first, the Blackhawks made the perfect start, with Leeward Islands Hurricanes bowler Javier Spencer claiming Mikyle Louis’ wicket during the match’s first ball. But through Tyrone Williams Jr and Matthew Cross, the Nation ensured that they were not going to be blasted out of the contest. The pair combined for a 33-run partnership, with Cross being dismissed for 21 off 13. Opening batter Williams Jr. continued onto the 15th over, scoring 42 off 41 playing an anchor role. The Nation competed against West Indies internationals Hayden Walsh Jr (2-20) and Rahkeem Cornwall (1-22), who both bowled beautifully. The Nation could not increase the scoring rate during the later stages of their inning, but through Kenrick Scott (35 off 36) and Justin Athanaze (13 off 11), the scoreboard continued to tick over. After their 20 overs, the Nation scored 145/8.
Chasing 146 to win meant the Blackhawks had an opening-required run rate of 7.3. However, Kofi James made early in-roads during the chase scoring 30 off 19 balls making the required run rate drop. Leroy Lugg also contributed 19 off 16. However, after both opening batters were dismissed, there was a middle-order collapse as the scoreboard went from 53-1 to 69-5. Damian Lowenfield came into the Nation’s side for his first game of the tournament. He finished with figures of 3-15, picking up the prestigious wickets of Karima Gore and Cornwall, as he combined with Justin Athanaze (2-7) and Micah McKenzie (4-16) during a superb middle-over bowling effort. Whilst the required run rate was not an issue for the Blackhawks, Andre Bailey (11 off 19) was the only other batter to make double figures as the Nation looked on course to win the title. What some thought was impossible was confirmed when Athanaze dismissed Oliver Davidson as the defending champions were bowled out for 99 after 16.1 overs.
The Empire Nation are the winner of the 2023 edition of the Cool and Smooth T20.
