THERE is a saying that ‘all good things come to an end’.

Well, that is precisely what happened yesterday when Trinidad & Tobago pulled off a tense three-wicket semi-final win at Sabina Park in Kingston to halt Jamaica’s distinguished and historic run in regional four-day cricket.

Aided by moments of sloppy fielding by the Jamaicans — including two straightforward dropped chances— the visitors resumed from their overnight 54-2 and anxiously scrambled to 179-7 on the fourth and final day’s play.

The loss killed the Jamaicans’ dream of extending the regional record to an incredible sixth consecutive four-day title and abruptly ended their match win-streak — spanning three seasons — at number 15.

Jamaica had won their six previous matches this season — all ending inside three days.

Scores: Jamaica 246 (80.5 overs) & 102 (43.5 overs); Trinidad & Tobago 170 (70.4 overs) & 179-7 (65.2 overs).

Trinidad, who last won the first-class title in the 2005-06 season, will oppose Barbados in next week’s championship showpiece.

The 24-year-old pace bowler Marlon Richards, who wrecked the Jamaican top-order in both innings to mastermind the comeback victory, was predictably named Man-of-the-Match for his 8-67 in the game.

Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert, reeling from the missed opportunities and the absolutely horrendous batting display that saw his team muster only 102 in the second innings, said he was “disappointed”, while conceding that Trinidad “played the better cricket” over the four days.

Denesh Ramdin, the T&T skipper, said “there were some nervous moments” to get the remaining 125 runs yesterday, but praised his young team for piecing together important partnerships on a pitch that he felt “held up well for four days”.

All-rounders Imran Khan and Rayad Emrit, who struck unbeaten knocks of 50 and 25, respectively, had a solidly-built unbroken partnership of 49 for the eighth wicket to seal the memorable win.

The 20-year-old wicketkeeper/batsman Stephen Katwaroo (32) also played a crucial part, combining with Khan for a 57-run seventh-wicket stand that rescued T&T from a perilous 73-6.

Jamaica’s medium pacer David Bernard, who bowled outstandingly to both the left and right-handed batsmen, fought a virtual one-man battle with the Trinidadians yesterday, capturing the first six wickets of the innings and finished with figures of 6-39 off 17 overs and two balls.

It was the 31-year-old’s sixth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

Left-arm orthodox slow bowler Nikita Miller was also used extensively and he took 1-31 off 18 overs. He equalled a chart-topping 52 wickets in the tournament — the same as Windward Islands off-spinner Shane Shillingford.

After the batsmen failed to effectively build on the significant first innings lead of 76, it was the bowlers, who for the umpteenth time, were expected to burden the brunt of the rescue mission yesterday.

And Bernard, who had two wickets on day three, answered the call, while picking up four more victims for 13 runs in his morning spell of eight overs.

He added left-hander Yannic Cariah (6) to his account when the young batsman edged the first delivery bowled yesterday and was caught by wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh.

Debutant left-hander Akeal Hosein (0) followed to the same combination in the very same over as he succumbed to an expertly slanted delivery across his body with the score at 54-4.

Bernard, nicknamed ‘Scorcher’, threatened to put Trinidad’s run chase up in smoke when he trapped Jason Mohammed (7) leg before wicket at 59-5.

It was 73-6 when Bernard’s beautifully executed delivery tailed in towards Ramdin in the air and moved even further into the right-hander to slide between bat and pad and emphatically rock back the middle stump.

The small spattering of fans at the venue was in high spirits at that point, but Khan and Katwaroo held the innings firmly together with a stubborn display.