Middlesex denied in Champions Cup

Trinidad & Tobago claimed the big-money Champions Cup in the Stanford Series, beating Middlesex by five wickets.

Middlesex started slowly, and at the halfway point of the innings were 40-4.

Eoin Morgan made 30 and Neil Dexter hit two fours and three sixes in 39 from 25 balls as 37 came from the final three overs and Middlesex mustered 117-8.

Middlesex had their opponents at 50-4 after 11 overs, but three catches went down, Denesh Ramdin hit 41 and a Darren Bravo six won it with four balls left.

The victory was worth $280,000, not the $20m for which England and Stanford Superstars compete on Saturday, but rather more than taken at an early season match at Southgate.

Middlesex chose to bat and although it was the spinners who exerted the pressure, West Indies seamer Ravi Rampaul picked up the early wickets with some lively pace and bounce.

Neil Carter, the controversial loan signing for Middlesex's Twenty20 campaigns this winter, failed again with the bat, deceived by the extra lift from Rampaul and edging to the keeper backing away attempting to force through the off-side.

Ed Joyce also only made a single, fishing at one outside off-stump from Rampaul.

Andrew Strauss was clearly conscious of the overs ticking by and succumbed to a pre-meditated charge down the wicket at Sherwin Ganga, younger brother of the captain, Darren.

Ganga jr fired the ball in wide of off-stump and Strauss was way out of his ground.

Tyron Henderson returned to the Middlesex team after injury but his renowned big-hitting was restricted to one brutal swipe for four before another flat, quicker ball from Ganga jr surprised him and uprooted the off-stump.

Catching was the main talking point of Sunday's match with England, and was to prove decisive in this game, but only two high chances were offered in the Middlesex innings, William Perkins never looking likely to take the first one as Dawid Malan's lofted stroke slipped straight through his hands.

The talented Malan made only three, however, before he flicked straight into the midriff of backward square-leg.

But it was Dexter who gave the innings some impetus and some bold strokeplay worked for him, his first six a sweetly-timed shot straight down the ground that bounced on the top of the large grandstand roof.

Amit Jaggernauth did take a catch in the deep when Dexter launched another big hit, but his momentum carried him over the rope.

Dexter hit 10 off the first three balls of Rampaul's final over, but the big seamer struck twice in two balls, finishing with 4-25 that was to earn him man-of-the-match, Shaun Udal suffering a golden duck in addition to his tweaked hamstring in the warm-up.

The first over of the match was bowled by leg-spinner Samuel Badree but Udal opted for a seam attack, and found immediate success.

Perkins drove the third ball straight back at Tim Murtagh and Carter's first delivery swung up to trap Lendl Simmons.

Udal brought himself and spin twin Murali Karthik into the attack with 94 needed from 84 balls but the Ganga brothers calmly brought their side back into contention with a stand of 45.

Leg-spinner Malan was brought into the attack to try to break the partnership and did so with his very first ball, Ganga jr hoisting straight to the mid-wicket boundary where Murtagh judged the catch expertly in his midriff.

In the same over Malan produced a delivery of Shane Warne proportions, drifting and spinning sharply to lure the captain out of his ground and Ben Scott whipped off the bails.

Bravo, younger brother of injured West Indies all-rounder Dwayne, had made six when Joyce spilled a chance that went straight to him at long-on and 45 were needed from the final 30 balls.

Middlesex spurned another catch, this time lower and closer to the wicket, as Carter fumbled at backward point, Karthik again the unlucky, and incensed, bowler.

Two balls later and Carter was hit for six, a startled Morgan fumbling the opportunity on the boundary, and as the pressure intensified Carter was no-balled for a high full toss that was expertly cut away for six more by Ramdin.

Although Ramdin was stumped in the penultimate over by the alert Scott when his back foot hovered inches above the ground, the damage had been done for Middlesex and Bravo thumped the winning hit high over long-on.