Opening pair Eldon Wade (96) and Winston Flowers (57) put on 129 runs in 14 overs for the first wicket, before young batting prodigy Conway Young (31), together with Wade, added another blistering 77 in only 8 overs to virtually put the game out of sight.

Dorian Gabb smashed a quick-fire 65 to take Belize well past the 300 mark, while Howell Gillett contributed with a sound 38.

Chris Prasad was the most economical bowler for Costa Rica, with 1 for 49 in 8 overs, while Michael Peart and Johnnie Lambert picked up 2 wickets apiece.

In reply, Costa Rica lost wickets regularly, and finally could only muster 60 runs all out in 35 overs. Their inexperience at this level was obvious, but the obvious enthusiasm and determination were a credit to the entire Costa Rican team. Top-scorer was Tim Baker with 14, not out.

Amongst the Belizean bowlers, Pradeep Perera was the pick, finishing with 3 for 9 in 8 overs, while Darren Rhaburn picked up 2 for 8 in 4 overs. Belize will have been pleased by their clinical performance coming a couple of weeks ahead of the important ICC Americas WCL Division 2 tournament to be held in Argentina.

On the second day of the cricket championships, Mexico proved too strong and polished for a plucky Costa Rican side, and set up a final day showdown with the hosts Belize to determine the first ever Central American Cricket Champions.

Winning the toss and batting first, Mexico were bowled out for 230 in 37 overs, a total which again proved beyond the Costa Ricans, who only managed 67 all out in 16 overs.

Mexico?s total was largely put together by a contribution of scores rather than any one individual batsman standing out, and Costa Rica rued some missed opportunities in the field, although they also produced an improved performance in the field and some outstanding catches were ultimately held.

Top-scorer for Mexico was Tarun Sharma, with 47, with other important contributions coming from Adam Boulton (36), Tushar Gupta (32), Gulshan Ahuja (29) and Jamie Kay (19). Best of the Costa Rican bowlers was Johnnie Lambert with 3 for 41, with good back-up from Herd Rogers (2 for 23) and David Crisp (2 for 30). Chris Prasad again bowled well to concede only 27 runs off his 8 overs.

In reply, accurate Mexican bowling proved too much for Costa Rica, with three batsmen reaching double figures ? Michael Peart (16), Prasad (14) and Barry Ashworth (11). Seamer Eric Acton did the damage at the start, with 3 for 11, from which the Costa Ricans never really recovered, with skipper Chris Wood (2 for 13) and Tushar Gupta (2 for 20) also bowling well. Tarum