If the first game of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) is anything to go by, Jamaica Empress are in for a swashbuckling run in their inaugural season.
In a finish that will be replayed for years to come, Chinelle Henry produced a moment of absolute magic to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, powering the Empress to a breathtaking one-wicket triumph over the Guyana Amazon Warriors in their debut yesterday.
Final scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 138 for seven (20 overs); Jamaica Empress 136 for nine (19 overs).
Needing 17 runs from the final over with just three wickets in hand, the Empress appeared destined for heartbreak.
The drama intensified when two run-outs left the innings in tatters, with the Jamaican franchise desperately trying to rotate the strike while keeping the dangerous Henry on strike.
Eight runs were required from the final two deliveries, and Henry, cool as ice, launched back-to-back sixes into the Kensington Oval stands to seal a remarkable victory in a contest that swung like a pendulum throughout.
Earlier, the Warriors were sent in to bat and endured a subdued Powerplay, limping to 19 for two.
But experienced campaigner Shemaine Campbelle and opener Realanna Grimmond then steadied the innings in emphatic fashion, combining for 97 runs from 63 balls for the third wicket.
The pair looked untroubled as they attacked the bowling, but their partnership was finally broken by a spectacular one-handed catch from Zaida James, who dismissed Grimmond for 45 from 46 balls.
Campbelle continued to drive the innings forward, bringing up her second WCPL half-century.
However, she was dismissed shortly afterwards for a top score of 56 from just 33 deliveries, triggering a collapse that saw the Warriors slip from 104 for two to 114 for five, losing three wickets for just 10 runs in eight deliveries.
Empress captain Stafanie Taylor and left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba claimed two wickets apiece as the Warriors lost their final five wickets for just 22 runs, closing on 138 for seven.
Australian Meg Lanning wasted little time in the chase, racing to 31 from 21 balls with five boundaries.
When she was dismissed at the end of the fifth over with the score on 48 for one, the Empress appeared firmly in control.
But the Warriors refused to surrender. A brief rain delay reduced the game to a 19-over chase, and on either side of the interruption, the visitors produced a stunning fightback in the middle overs, claiming five wickets for just 16 runs to turn the contest into a tense finale.
With the Empress wobbling, Henry took matters into her own hands.
The powerful right-hander launched four sixes in a match-winning unbeaten 41 from just 21 balls, ultimately dragging Jamaica over the line in spectacular fashion.
Erin Burns and Shabnim Ismail were the Warriors’ leading wicket-takers with two apiece, but it was Henry who had the final say, as the Empress snatched victory with the very last ball of the match.
