Champions Antigua & Barbuda win in Anguilla - AntiguaSun

[Anguillan newsboy]

Anguilla - Antigua and Barbuda beat Anguilla by 98 runs in their NAGICO Leeward Islands Cricket ***ociation (LICA) limited overs match at Webster Park on Sunday.
After scoring 278 all out from 47.4 overs, visiting Antigua and Barbuda restricted Anguilla to 180 in 45.2 overs to avenge Saturday's historic loss in the three-day fixture.

The home side started with a bang with the former Leeward Islands opener Alex Adams, who now only represents Anguilla in limited overs matches due to work commitments, blasting 19 runs off the first over bowled by the Antiguan medium pacer Stephan Mathew.
But the loss of Adams for 25 including four fours and a six when the score was on 38, saw the defending one-day champions tightening their grip on the game and not relinquishing it.

Only teenaged opening batsman and Windies Under-19 selectee Chesney Hughes with 36, West Indies player Omari Banks (26), Terry Adams (23) and Kelbert Walters, another Windies Under-19 pick with 20, offered any real resistance in the face of some accurate medium pace and spin bowling by the Antiguans.

Mathew ended with two for 53 with the trio of slow bowlers - off-spinners Larry Joseph and Justin Athanaze and leg-spinner Anthony Martin - combining for four wickets.

The other medium fast bowler Chad Hampson bagged two for 42.

Earlier, Devon Thomas, the Leeward Islands Under-19 captain, cracked two sixes and six fours in a delightful knock of 86 from just 76 balls in 97 minutes.

Thomas shared in a third-wicket partnership of 92 with middle-order batsman Orlando Peters, who made 40 in 65 minutes from 54 balls with five boundaries.

There were also useful contributions from Kelvin Bowens (37), Larry Joseph (33) and Mathew (27).

Banks was the best of the Anguillian bowlers, claiming four for 57 from 10 overs of his off-spin bowling, while pacer Walters took three for 53.

There was a wicket each for fast bowler Eversley Browne and off-spinner Alex Adams.

The defeat was the third for Anguilla in the one-day championship this season, following earlier losses against St. Maarten and the Combined Virgin Islands.

Antigua and Barbuda remain unbeaten in the limited overs competition following their nail-biting last-ball win over Montserrat at home.

On Saturday, Anguilla had recorded their first-ever three-day victory over Antigua and Barbuda, defeating the visitors by 135 runs.

In the fourth-round matches this weekend, Antigua and Barbuda will be away to St. Maarten and Anguilla will travel to face St. Kitts.