BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Barbadian Dominic Drakes bowled last man Harry Gurney with the final ball of the match as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots edged Barbados Tridents by a single run in a dramatic finish, to book their place in the play-offs of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) here Saturday night.

With Tridents needing two runs to win off the last ball at Kensington Oval in search of a modest target of 150, Gurney missed a swing and had his stumps shattered, silencing the home crowd and leaving the hosts’ play-offs chances hanging by a string.

Drakes, who played for Tridents last season, started the last six balls defending 12 runs but sent down a wide off the first ball before Raymon Reifer clobbered the first legitimate delivery for six over extra cover.

However, Reifer was run out going for a second run off the next ball and new batsman Gurney scrambled a single off the third ball, leaving Tridents requiring just three runs off as many deliveries.

But Drakes kept fellow Barbadian Chemar Holder scoreless off the next delivery and a scrambled leg bye off the fifth meant the hosts needed one to tie, and force a ‘Super-over’ and two runs for the win.

Left-armer Drakes, the son of former West Indies all-rounder Vasbert Drakes, then won it for Patriots to see them into the next round in what was their final game.

They now lie second on 10 points, four adrift of unbeaten leaders Guyana Amazon Warriors and one ahead of two-time reigning champions Trinbago Knight Riders, in third with three matches remaining.

Tridents, in fifth on six points, faced a do-or-die clash with St Lucia Zouks, in fourth, at the Oval yesterday evening at 6:00 pm, with the winner clinching a place in the play-offs.

Tridents had only themselves to blame, however, as yet another sub-par batting performance let them down badly.

Highly-rated Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan top-scored with 38 off 25 balls in his first match of the season, while Reifer chipped in with a swift 34 off 18 balls, but no other batsman passed 20.

Left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell snatched three for 27, while Barbadian Carlos Brathwaite returned to haunt his old franchise with three for 30.

Medium pacer Rayad Emrit, also a former Trident, supported with two for 24.

Another Barbadian Shamarh Brooks had earlier top-scored with 53 off 33 deliveries as Patriots also struggled to get up to 149 for seven off their 20 overs.

Devon Thomas and Fabian Allen both chipped in with 20 apiece but Patriots crawled to 61 for two at the halfway stage and never really recovered at the back end.

Mohammad Hafeez (6) fell cheaply in the fourth over but Brooks anchored two small stands – 33 for the second wicket with Evin Lewis (33), and another 43 for the fourth with Thomas – to keep the innings afloat.

Brooks struck six fours and a couple of sixes before perishing in the 16th over, bowled by leg-spinner Hayden Walsh (2-37) missing a slog sweep.

Allen and Keron Cottoy (13) then put a further 35 for the seventh wicket to add badly needed runs at the end.

In reply, Tridents found themselves on 85 for two in the 12th over thanks to a 41-run, second-wicket stand between Shakib and Alex Hales (19), and a 29-run, third-wicket partnership between Shakib and J P Duminy (18).

Shakib struck three fours and a six before holing out in the deep off Brathwaite, and his dismissal sparked a slide that saw five wickets tumble for 14 runs in the space of 22 balls, as Tridents lost their way.