GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) — Mighty Trinidad and Tobago reduced the Caribbean Twenty20 final to a no-contest as they crushed out-of-sorts Guyana in an authoritative performance to march to their third consecutive title here Sunday night.

The defending champions hardly put a foot wrong, limiting Guyana to an inadequate 116 for six off their 20 overs and then cruising to their target with over seven overs left at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium.

T&T’s triumph was set up by fast bowlers Shannon Gabriel (2-16) and Rayad Emrit (2-18), who claimed two wickets apiece in superb four-over spells to keep a lid on the scoring.

Happy to chase a target that required less than a run a ball, T&T got off to a flier, courtesy of a rollicking 52-run stand off 32 balls between dashing West Indies right-hander Lendl Simmons and rookie Evin Lewis.

Simmons slammed an unbeaten 52 off 37 balls with four fours and three sixes, while the left-handed Lewis stroked a cavalier 32 from 18 balls with four fours and two sixes.

When they were parted in the sixth over, Kieron Pollard welcomed a promotion to number three by blasting three sixes and a four in a cameo unbeaten 25 from 21 balls, as he starred in an unbroken 68-run, second-wicket partnership off 43 balls with Simmons.

In fact, it was Pollard’s massive blow over long-on off off-spinner Narsingh Deonarine that sealed victory and sparked a fireworks display and partying among the Trinidadian players and fans.

Perhaps finally buckling under the toll of four matches in as many days, Guyana looked out of their depth from the outset and never came to terms with T&T’s varied bowling attack.

In-form right-hander Chris Barnwell topscored with 32, while opener Trevon Griffith chipped in with 29, but they were only two of three batsmen to reach double figures.

Leg-spinner Samuel Badree removed the dangerous Derwin Christian for five in the second over at five for one and Gabriel gave T&T a huge advantage, prising out Ramnaresh Sarwan (5) and Narsingh Deonarine for a first-ball ‘duck’, in a hostile fifth over.

Sarwan, frustrated at having his scoring shackled, mistimed an ugly pull and skied a catch to Simmons at mid-wicket, to extend his wretched run in the tournament that yielded 61 runs from eight innings.

Two balls later, Deonarine fended off a short, rising delivery aimed at his rib cage for wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin to run around the leg side and claim a simple catch.

Reeling at 15 for three in the fifth over, Guyana recovered through a 61-run fourth wicket stand between Barnwell and Griffith, who lived a charmed life.

Barnwell faced 39 deliveries and struck a four and a six, while Griffith survived two simple chances to Emrit to also hit a four and a six in a 32-ball knock.

At the half-way point, Guyana were stuttering at 49 for three and thereafter both batsmen began to chance their arms with time running out.

Griffith cleared mid-wicket in the 14th over with Narine and Barnwell followed up with a straight hit for four in one of the most expensive overs of the innings that cost 13 runs.

Off the first ball of the next over, Griffith perished to a direct hit by Pollard from cover as he attempted a sharp single, and Barnwell lofted Narine over mid-wicket for his only six before he fell to the first ball of the 17th over, well taken at point by Darren Bravo.

Two balls later, Leon Johnson was taken on the second attempt by Simmons at third man off Emrit, and Guyana needed an unbroken 27-run, seventh-wicket partnership between Royston Crandon (16) and Steven Jacobs (9) to inch to their total.