Gros Islet – Corbin Bosch showed scant regard for home team St Lucia Kings, plundering 81 to lead a successful run chase, and handing Barbados Royals their fourth successive win by six wickets in the feature match of men’s Caribbean Premier League double header on Thursday in St Lucia.
Bosch, 27, the son of deceased South Africa pacer Tertius Bosch, collected 10 fours and one six from 50 balls to earn the Player-of-the-Match award, and the Royals chased down 170 to keep their 100% record in place with a dominant victory over the Kings at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground.
After Barbadian slow bowler Roston Chase got South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock caught behind for a golden duck off the last ball of the first over, Bosch and Barbadian left-hander Kyle Mayers added 84 runs from only 48 balls to put the Royals firmly on track.
Mayers was caught at long-off and became the first of 3-32 in four overs for West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph in the ninth over, but his departure did little to slow the Royals, and Bosch carried them to within 22.
After Joseph got Bosch got at deep square leg in the 16th over, current captain David Miller, not out 29, and former captain, world-rated Barbadian all-rounder Jason Holder, not out seven, ushered the Royals over the finish line with nine balls remaining with minimum fuss.
Earlier, a 79-run stand between Tim David of Singapore and South African David Wiese lifted the Kings to 169 for six after they were sent in to bat.
David smashed four fours and two sixes in the top score of 40 off 23 balls and Wiese added 28 from 21 balls to breathe life into the Kings innings after they slumped to 90 for five in the 13th over.
West Indies leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr was the pick of the Royals bowlers with an economical 2-19 from his allotted four overs.
Royals will be chasing their fifth consecutive win when they face Jamaica Tallawahs at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the same venue.
In the opening match of the day, Andre Fletcher led the way with 41, but reigning CPL champions St Kitts & Nevis Patriots needed a dynamic 27 not out from South African Dwaine Pretorius to beat Guyana Amazon Warriors by four wickets and clinch their first win of this season.
Chasing 163, the Patriots recovered from a mid-innings slide when four wickets tumbled for 20 in the span of 15 ball to get home with two balls remaining.
Not for the first time, Fletcher was at the forefront of the run chase with four fours in 38 balls, but Pretorius clubbed three sixes from 12 balls and put on 55 for the seventh wicket with compatriot Duan Jansen, not out on 23, to get them past the Warriors.
Choosing to bat, Amazon Warriors posted 161 for six from their 20 overs with their captain, West Indies batsman Shimton Hetmyer leading with an exciting 46 from 21 balls and fellow Guyanese left-hander Chandrapaul Hemraj adding 43 from 38 balls.
Summarised scores:
Royals beat Kings by six wickets. Kings 169 for six off 20 overs (Tim David 40, Johnson Charles 29, David Wiese 28 not out; Hayden Walsh 2-19). Royals 175 for four off 18.3 overs (Corbin Bosch 81, Kyle Mayers 33, David Miller 29 not out; Alzarri Joseph 3-32).
Patriots beat Amazon Warriors by four wickets. Amazon Warriors 161 for six off 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 46, Chandrapaul Hemraj 42; Akila Dananjaya 2-28). Patriots 163 for six off 19.4 overs (Andre Fletcher 41, Dwaine Pretorius 27 not out, Duan Jansen 23 not out; Odean Smith 2-10).