Chinelle Henry’s unbeaten 21-ball 41 propelled Jamaica Empress past Guyana Amazon Warriors in their maiden Women’s Caribbean Premier League clash.
Chinelle Henry's heroics take Jamaica Empress past Guyana Amazon Warriors
Chasing 139 in their first-ever WCPL clash, Empress were 102-5 two balls into the 17th over, when the match was interrupted due to rain. The target and overs were reduced to 132 and 19, respectively, leaving Empress with 30 needed off 16 when play resumed, and Henry on nine off as many balls.
However, they lost Aaliyah Alleyne to Nadine de Klerk on the third devliery after restart, and the Empress were left with 28 to win in the last two overs, with four wickets to spare. Shabnim Ismail then got rid of Zaida James to finish the 18th over, but not before Henry took her for a six and a four, leaving 17 runs to score from the last six balls.
After Chloe Tryon opened the 19th with a wide, both Rosemary Mair and Syeda Aroob Shah were run-out in a span of three deliveries trying to put Henry back on, who managed a six off the second ball. With Empress nine down, and eight to get off the last three, Tryon got a dot ball in as Henry decided to not run. The West Indies all-rounder then smashed two sixes to win the nail-biting contest by one wicket on the last delivery of the game.
Empress openers Rashada Williams and Meg Lanning scored 31 apiece off 28 and 21 deliveries, respectively, and Djenaba Joseph added 19 from three. However, apart from the top three, Henry’s 41 not out off 21 was the only score in excess of 10 as four batters (Alleyne, James, Mair and Shah) were dismissed for a duck.
Earlier in the game, the Warriors were pushed on the back foot after being put in to bat. They lost Tazmin Brits (1) and Eboni Brathwaite (3) with just seven on the board before Realeanna Grimmond (45 off 46) and Shemaine Campbelle (56 off 33) stitched a 97-run stand off 61 balls for the third wicket.
Skipper Tryon added an unbeaten 16-ball 21 to put up a respectable 138-7 on the board. For the Empress, Nonkululeko Mlaba and skipper Stafanie Taylor picked up two wickets each, whereas Mair and Henry got one each. The latter was named the player of the match for her all-round showing.
Both Empress and Warriors will be taking on the Trinbago Knight Riders in their next WCPL clashes on September 10 and 12, respectively.
Also read: Full list of overseas players in Women’s Caribbean Premier League 2026
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