The inaugural edition of Cricket West Indies’ newest competition, The 6ixty, came to an exciting finish, as the Barbados Royals lifted the women’s trophy, whereas the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots won the men’s competition on Sunday night.
The Hayley Matthews-led side registered a 15-run win against Trinbago Knight Riders at the Warner Park in St Kitts, collecting their first title in their maiden season.
After being put in to bat first, the Royals started on a steady note, with openers Aaliyah Alleyne and Matthews stitching a 42-run partnership. But the Knight Riders struck back, picking some quick wickets to remove the top order. Chenille Henry and Britney Cooper then came together to consolidate the innings and guided the team to a decent total of 65.
With a tricky target to defend, all eyes were on the Royals bowlers and they didn’t disappoint. Qiana Joseph was the first one to get a breakthrough, dismissing both openers inside the first two overs with just 13 runs on the board. Shakera Selman then joined the party, picking three crucial wickets in the middle order to bundle out the Knight Riders for 50 in 9 overs.
Meanwhile, the Royals men’s team missed out on qualifying for their first final of The 6ixty, bowing out at the semi-final stage. A strong batting performance from the top order helped the team post a challenging total of 101 against Trinbago Knight Riders. However, the Knight Riders batters executed their innings to perfection, and despite a couple of early blows, completed the chase inside 9 overs.
The tournament concluded with the grand finale clash between the Knight Riders and the Patriots, with the latter emerging victorious by 3 wickets.