Antigua and Barbuda Falcons beat St. Lucia Kings 98 to 54 in the Caribbean Premier League on Thursday night. The away side moved further clear in second place while the hosts slipped deeper into the bottom half of the table. By then the pattern was already set — Falcons controlled from the opening session and never let up.
The hosts started brightly enough but lost momentum quickly. Falcons took control of the middle period and by then the gap had grown beyond recovery. The pitch cut up badly in places but that did nothing to help the home side chase the target.
St. Lucia Kings sit fourth with eight points from nine games, four wins and five losses. They lost their last outing against the same opposition by a narrower margin — 183 to 187 on August ninth — but this time the difference was stark. Falcons meanwhile sit second with eleven points from eight matches, five victories and three defeats.
The result extends Falcons' recent form against their opponents. They had narrowly lost the previous encounter but now showed they fancy their chances when the game is on the line. The hosts have not won since their last outing and are finding it hard to string results together.
The final tally leaves Kings eight points adrift of the top two with five matches remaining. Falcons hold a comfortable position but talk has not broken down about maintaining pressure. The gap in points may look manageable but the quality gap on this evening suggested otherwise.