Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

JAMAICA HUMBLED the Windward Islands at Alpart Sports Club in Nain, St Elizabeth, yesterday and won the Carib Beer Cup - the symbol of supremacy in regional four-day cricket.

The match, scheduled for four days, ended in extra time with Jamaica, left with 17 runs for victory, winning by 10 wickets with two days remaining.

In winning the match, Jamaica, on 46 points at the start of the contest and needing maximum 12 points from this their last match to guarantee winning the Cup, cruised to victory on a day when 18 Windward Islands wickets fell for 246 runs in 88.1 overs and ticked off their ninth hold on the title and their first since 2005.

Jamaica on warpath

Final score: Jamaica 232 and 17 without loss, the Windward Islands 61 and 187 with 20-year-old Andre Fletcher, batting at number three and joining the action at five for one in the second over of the innings, stroking and striking an impressive, unblemished and undefeated career-best 103.

Starting the day with the Windward Islands on the skids at one for two off 3.1 overs, Jamaica went on the warpath 17 minutes into the start of play, and with pacer Daren Powell, two wickets for no runs overnight, grabbing one more to finish with three for 13 off eight overs, Jerome Taylor picking up three for 17 off 11 overs, and Nikita Miller pocketing four for six off 8.2 overs, the Windward Islands first innings was history five minutes after lunch.

In falling for the sixth lowest total in the 42-year-old history of the contest, the Windward Islands lost eight wickets for 59 in 125 minutes off 31.1 overs and, but for Fletcher and 19-year-old Donwell Hector, it would have been worse - and much worse at that.

Opened floodgate

Fletcher scored 25, joining the action at eight for three after Powell had cut down Solvan Browne for three, Hector scored 17, and together they posted 34 runs before Fletcher was leg before at 42 for three - a decision which opened the floodgate as the visitors lost seven wickets for 19 runs in 45 minutes and 16 overs.

For the Jamaica bowlers, it was as easy as taking candy from a baby and even though, according to the scoreboard and based on some aggressive strokes - and especially some of those by Fletcher, they did much better in their second innings. The Windwards' batting, but for Fletcher's gem which lasted for 187 minutes and 162 deliveries and included 11 fours and two sixes, was hardly any better.

Back to pavilion

Trailing by 171 runs, the Windward Islands were sent to bat again, and in the second over, bowled by Powell, it was five for one with Devon Smith, the top batsman on the visiting team, on his way back to the pavilion.

With Browne clipping Taylor to the square-leg boundary and hitting Miller high to the long-on boundary, the Windward Islands looked set for a defiant rearguard action until two poor strokes and one good delivery left them sinking at 65 for four.

Browne went for 14 at 32 for two when the batsman, going back, pulling away, and playing outside the ball, nicked a good delivery from Dave Bernard on to his stumps, Hector, pulling away and dabbing at the ball, was bowled by Bernard for 12 at 45 for three, and Darren Sammy was trapped leg before for seven at 65 for four by a well-pitched delivery from Bernard who finished with figures of three for 31 off five overs.

Jamaica's first innings

Windwards first innings

(Resumed at 1-2)

S. Browne c Baugh b Powell	3
A. Fletcher lbw Miller	25
D. Hector lbw Miller	17
D. Sammy c Baugh b Taylor	6
R. Lewis lbw Miller	1
L. James c Hyatt b Taylor	0
Butler lbw Taylor	0
S Shillingford not out	0
N. Pascal lbw Miller	0
Extras (b6, lb1, nb1)	8
TOTAL (all out - 34.2 overs)	61

Fall: 1-1, 2-1, 3-8, 4-42, 5-60, 6-60, 7-61, 8-61, 9-61, 10-61.

Bowling: Taylor 11-4-17-3; Powell 8-4-13-3; Bernard 6-2-14-0 (1nb); Nash 1-0-4-0; Miller 8.2-5-6-4.

Windwards second innings

D. Smith ht wkt Powell	4
S. Browne b Bernard	14
A. Fletcher not out	103
D. Hector b Bernard	12
D. Sammy lbw Bernard	7
R. Lewis lbw Miller	5
L. James c Nash b Miller	19
D. Butler lbw Gayle	2
S. Shillingford lbw Gayle	7
R. Casimir c Gayle b Miller	6
N. Pascal c Baugh b Gayle	2
Extras (lb1, nb5)	6
TOTAL (all out - 57 overs)	187

Fall: 1-5, 2-32, 3-45, 4-65, 5-94, 6-120, 7-127, 8-157, 9-172, 10-187.

Bowling: Taylor 5-0-23-0; Powell 8-2-21-1; Miller 25-5-60-3; Bernard 5-0-39-3 (5nb); Lambert 1-0-4-0; Gayle 13-1-39-3.

Jamaica second innings

B. Parchment not out	9
C. Gayle not out	8
TOTAL (without loss - 2.2 overs)	17

Bowling: Pascal 1.2-0-12-0; Smith 1-0-5-0.Result: Jamaica won by 10 wickets.