Canadian women lose soggy tour opener in Trinidad

Special report by Eddie Norfolk to ICC Americas

Canada's women cricketers put up a respectable showing, all things considered, in a loss to the Trinidad & Tobago Development XI at the National Cricket Centre in Couva on Sunday. The match was interrupted by several storms after a delayed start for rain. The Development XI won by 3 wickets under the Duckworth/Lewis system.

Canada had made 43 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, after losing two early wickets, when play was first halted for a rainstorm. The innings resumed with a maximum of 29 overs (game scheduled for 40 overs per side) and Canada advanced to 85 runs for 5 wickets. Captain Mona Persaud top-scored with 24 runs not out, batting at number 5. Joanna White and Monali Patel each scored 14 runs.

T&T's Amanda Samaroo, who starred for the T&T Under-17s at Maple Leaf CC last August, took 2 wickets for just 11 runs in 6 overs.

A storm at 3.52 pm sent the players rushing for the pavillion with T&T Development XI on 42 runs for no wicket off 11 overs. There had been a missed catch in the early overs. Some might have thought that was it for the day and the match would be abandoned as a draw, but play eventually resumed with T&T needing to break a target of 20 more runs off 10 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis system.

Despite the rain, the players of both sides enjoyed the experience and are set to meet again next weekend. By that time, Canada will hope to have much more practice and acclimatization (hopefully with less storms than to date), so will be looking for improvement in this developmental tour.