PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Ashley Nurse wrecked Leeward Islands with a six-wicket haul that set the stage for Barbados to march into the semi-finals of the NAGICO Super50 tournament at the Queen’s Park Oval here on Monday.

The Bajans clinched a four-wicket victory over the unfancied Leeward Islands outfit, but not before surviving a persistent bowling counter attack that threatened to derail their run chase.

Kraigg Brathwaite cracked an unbeaten 29 and batted through the innings to lead Barbados through some rocky phases and then safety at 104 for six after Nurse’s assault, which saw the Leewards crashing to 103 all out.

Openers Kieran Powell top scored with 34 and Montcin Hodge 14, both scoring slowly, to give the Leewards an encouraging 46-run stand.

But once Dwayne Smith got the breakthrough by having Hodge caught, a batting slide began which remained unchecked.

Powell soon followed, trapped lbw to Nurse, while Devon Thomas offered some resistance before he was trapped lbw to Sulieman Benn for 17.

The only other batsman to cross into double figures was Jahmar Hamilton, who was lbw to Nurse for 10.

Nurse finished with a haul of six for 29 from 10 overs, including two maiden overs, while Benn picked up two for 15.

Barbados got off to a poor start after losing Dwayne Smith in the second over with six runs on the board.

But a 45-run second-wicket partnership between Brathwaite and Rashidi Boucher kept them on course to a semi-final spot.

Boucher, who struck three fours, departed for 25 as medium pacer Lionel Baker and spinner Anthony Martin led a fight-back to upset Barbados’s plans.

Martin and Baker picked up two wickets each to curtail the run flow as wickets were falling nearly after every 10 runs scored.

Brathwaite maintained his composure hitting just a boundary to be undefeated on 29 at the end.