Jamaica’s senior head coach Junior Bennett said inconsistent batting and sub-par fielding in the final against Trinidad & Tobago cost the nation its first hold on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Caribbean Twenty20 (CT20) title.

Bennett was speaking to the Observer yesterday at the Norman Manley International Airport shortly after the second placed David Bernard Jnr-led Jamaicans arrived from the tournament jointly held in Antigua and Barbados.

He bemoaned the fact that despite team talks and careful planning, poor execution played a significant role in the resounding and profoundly embarrassing 63-run loss to Trinidad & Tobago in Sunday evening’s final played under artificial lights.

“We dropped chances and they were crucial catches at crucial stages of the game. Having Trinidad 86-4 in the 15th over we couldn’t have asked for better than that. We discussed the players for Trinidad that could really hurt us and they were the ones we dropped and it cost us dearly. We let two of them off the hook.

“I don’t think our batting was consistent throughout the tournament. We didn’t get the starts at the top of the order. Aside from that, we bowled exceptionally well and our fielding was okay, but in the final it let us down,” he said.

Jamaica had pegged back T&T to 65-4 in the 12th over, thanks mostly to wily wrist-spinner Odean Brown, who finished with impressive figures of 3-22 off his four overs.

The Jamaicans were however left battered and bruised by a pyrotechnic assault from big hitting sensation Kieron Pollard, who crunched 37 off 13 balls. All-rounder Dwayne Bravo made 49 off 43 deliveries and pinch-hitting Sunil Narine chipped in with 22 off 15.

Despite the effectiveness of the audacious approach of the trio, they were aided by uncharacteristic poor catching from the Jamaica team.

Pollard was dropped by Marlon Samuels off the bowling of left-arm pacer Krishmar Santokie when he was on two.

Narine was dropped by Santokie off the left-arm spin of Nikita Miller early in his innings. The unfortunate Miller suffered more agony when the usually safe Shawn Findlay floored a chance from Bravo when the right-hander when in his 20s.

Chasing 169 to win, Jamaica’s batting crumpled after leading run-getter Nkrumah Bonner (four) was run out and Samuels was outfoxed and emphatically bowled by wrist-spinner Samuel Badree.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Carlton Baugh Jnr was the lone shining light with a pesky, but refreshing unbeaten 39 as Jamaica closed on 105-5.

The picture was not all gloom for the Jamaicans, however, as the consistent 27-year-old Santokie ended as the tournament’s top bowler with 14 wickets in six matches at an average of 10.35.

Bonner, 23, ended as the second highest runscorer with 172 runs at an average of 34.4 and strike rate of 96.08. He was given the ‘Star Award’ by the organisers.

When asked about the possibility that the players may have been challenged in the field because they are not accustomed to competing under flood lights in Jamaica, Bennett said it could have been a factor.

“Yes, not having lights here affected us. Jamaica is the only major territory in the Caribbean without lights and we have difficulties with it from time to time, especially the younger members of the team. You could see that even the older players were affected,” he said.

He remained confident, however, that all other aspects of the preparation period for the CT20 was ideal.

“I think we had enough time this time around to prepare for the tournament. We did what we were supposed to do, and though in some areas we were not consistent we reached the final,” he said.

Jamaica, under the guidance of Bennett, were quarter-finalists and finalists in respective 2006 and 2008 Stanford 20/20 tournaments. They finished fourth in the 2010 CT20 and third last year.

The previous disappointing showings in the regional T20 format led many to call on the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) to undertake a different approach to the shortest format of the game.

In their quest to raise the standards, the JCA re-introduced a revamped local T20 club competition that featured more matches per team.

The Trinidadians, now back-to-back champions after winning the CT20 last year, also won the 2008 edition of the now-defunct Stanford tournament.

The Guyana team has also been dominant in the format, capturing the inaugural CT20 in 2010 and winning the Stanford 20/20 in 2006.

Jamaica will begin the defence of the regional four-day title on February 3 against Windward Islands at Sabina Park.

Jamaica are also the reigning WICB Super50 title holders.