Anguilla trounce Antigua by 135 runs to notch easy win - Sun St.Kitts/Nevis

[Anguillan newsboy]

THE VALLEY, Anguilla - Anguilla easily wrapped up a solid 135-run win over Antigua and Barbuda on the final day of their Leeward Islands Cricket ***ociation match at Webster Park here Saturday.

Set 355 for victory, Antigua collapsed dramatically from 175 for three at lunch and were dismissed for 219.

The win, which came an hour and 15 minutes into the post-lunch session, was Anguilla's first ever outright triumph over the Antiguans in the three-day version of the annual sub-regional cricket championship.

Captain and off spin bowler Chaka Hodge engineered Antigua's demise, capturing four for 49 from 17 overs while West Indies off-spinning all-rounder Omari Banks took three for 48 and medium pacer Daniel Proctor, two for 23.



Devon Thomas was the best of the Antiguan batsmen, hammering an attacking 71, including 20 runs off one over from young fast bowler Kelbert Walters, who went wicketless in the second innings (0-70) following his six for 52 in the first innings.

Opener Orlando Peters made 34, Kelvin Bowens, 23 and Gavin Williams, 24.

The hosts' bowling was well supported by some sharp fielding, led by Banks who held two fantastic edges at first slip, and Chesney Hughes who held on to a difficult skied catch on the deep backward square boundary.

On the second day Friday, Anguilla had secured a first innings lead of 103 after dismissing Antigua for a paltry 110. They then rattled up 251 in their second innings to set their opponents a challenging target.

For the NAGICO-sponsored one-day match against Antigua at Webster Park on Sunday, Anguilla have included experienced national players batsman Alex Adams and fast bowler Eversley Browne.

They have lost in the limited overs competition to both St Maarten and the Combined Virgin Islands while the Antiguans, in their first match of the season, narrowly edged out Montserrat at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium last Sunday.