West Indies 204 for 4 (Taylor 79*, Henry 53*, Maguire 2-24) beat Ireland 203 (Lewis 95*, Fletcher 3-37) by six wickets
Contrasting half-centuries from Stafanie Taylor and Chinelle Henry helped West Indies beat Ireland by six wickets in the third ODI in Gros Islet, and wrap up the series 2-0.
Chasing a modest 204, West Indies were 94 for 4 around the halfway mark when Taylor and Henry joined hands. The pair added 110 in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand to take the side home with 8.5 overs to spare. For both batters, it was their second half-century in as many innings, and for Taylor, her 40th in ODIs.
As a result, West Indies pocketed five points from the series - the second ODI was washed out - to improve their position on the Women's Championship table. They now have seven points from nine games and are placed fifth. Ireland are still at the bottom with a solitary point from their nine outings.
After opting to bat, Ireland kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were all out for 203 on the last ball of the innings. Gaby Lewis was the only one to show some fight and cross 20. Opening the innings, Lewis scored an unbeaten 95 off 121 balls, thus becoming the sixth batter in women's ODIs to carry her bat.
Having said that, Ireland were in a decent position at one stage. After Cherry-Ann Fraser dismissed Leah Paul for 2, Lewis and Orla Prendergast took the side to 44 for 1 in the ninth over. But then Fraser struck again, having Prendergast caught down the leg side for 16 off 17 balls. Following that, Afy Fletcher and Hayley Matthews reduced Ireland to 110 for 7 as the visitors lost six wickets for 66 runs.
Lewis, though, was firm at one end. She was on 39 off 72 at one point, but with wickets tumbling around, she accelerated and scored 56 runs off her next 49 deliveries. That resulted in Ireland adding 43 and 50 for the eighth and ninth wickets, respectively, as Ava Canning (20) and Cara Murray (19) offered support to Lewis.
Rain interrupted the match in the 30th over of Ireland's innings and again in the fifth over of the West Indies', but neither delay was long enough to cause any loss of overs.
In the chase, West Indies lost openers Matthews and Zaida James cheaply and were 42 for 2 in the 14th over. It could have become 62 for 3 when Taylor hit a full toss from Murray straight to short midwicket but Sophie MacMahon grassed the chance.
Taylor was on 18 at that point. She got another life on 29 when Murray dropped her at short fine leg off Laura Delany. The second reprieve was just after left-arm spinner Aimee Maguire had Rashada Williams stumped for 17. Maguire would dismiss Shemaine Campbelle in the same manner in her next over but that would be the last time Ireland would pick up a wicket in the game.
Henry, who had smashed an unbeaten 53 off just 37 balls in the first ODI, was at it again. While Taylor took 85 balls to bring up her half-century, Henry reached there in just 53 deliveries.
With the target just nine runs away, Taylor hit two fours and a single in three balls to seal the win.
