Barbados Tridents Survive Late Scare to Beat Jamaica Empress by Three Runs
By Ahmed Raza | Last updated: September 13, 2026
Barbados Tridents kept their bid for a fourth straight Limacol WCPL title alive on September 12, 2026, edging out Jamaica Empress by three runs in a tense finish built on a middle-order recovery and disciplined bowling at the death.
Put in to bat after losing the toss, the Tridents were pushed onto the back foot early by tight new-ball spells from Rosemary Mair and Chinelle Henry. Nonkululeko Mlaba struck first, removing Qiana Joseph caught and bowled, while Hayley Matthews found scoring difficult in an anchoring role, managing 21 off 23 balls before departing with the Tridents at 56 for 4 inside the tenth over.
The innings turned on a 78-run stand between Susie Bates and Maddy Green, who used sweeps and reverse sweeps to unsettle the Empress attack and rebuild the total after the early collapse. Stafanie Taylor hit back late, taking three wickets in the final over to finish with 4 for 29, but the platform Bates and Green had built proved enough to give the Tridents a defendable score.
Jamaica Empress made a rapid start in reply as Meg Lanning and Amy Hunter put on the highest opening partnership in WCPL history, taking the chase away from the Tridents with ease. The stand ended when Hunter was well caught by Bates off Afy Fletcher’s bowling, and Lanning eventually fell for 57 having looked set to finish the game off.
Once the platform-setting pair were gone, the Empress middle order struggled to keep pace against tight bowling from Bates and Fletcher, who combined to squeeze the run rate in the closing overs. The Tridents held their nerve to close out the win by three runs, extending their stay in the title race.
