Barbados lift U15 crown, Jamaica last again

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

BARBADOS WERE crowned West Indies Under-15 champions yesterday after a solid all-round show from Jahidi Hinds enabled them to overcome a destructive spell from Windward Islands captain Earsinho Fontaine and gallop to a 192-run win.

Hinds gathered the top score of 84 from 105 balls that included five fours and three sixes, and he was one of three batsmen that got half-centuries for the Barbadians in their total of 297 all out in 49.2 overs after they chose to bat in their fifth and final-round match at Bethesda.

Fellow opener and Barbados captain Damarko Wiggins supported with 62 off 69 balls that included five fours and three sixes, and fellow left-hander Justin Parris made 58 from 61 balls before Fontaine carved up the bottom half of their side’s batting to end with five for 18 from 4.2 overs and was one of two bowlers that finished the tournament with a chart-topping 11 wickets.

In reply, Jorden Charles got 32 and was the only Windwards batsman that reached 20 before they were dismissed for 105 in 26.2 overs.

Javed Worrell was the most successful Barbadian bowler, taking three for 17 from five overs, while Kelani Clarke and Hinds took two wickets apiece to help complete the demolition of the batting of the Windwards, who finished fourth in the tournament on nine points.

It was the fourth win in a row for the Barbadians after their opening match against Guyana was washed out without a ball bowled, and they topped the six-team table with 22 points – 1.2 more than the second-placed Guyanese.

“After last year’s performance, I think a lot of hard work and a lot of planning went into our preparations,” Barbados coach Roddy Estwick said.

“We had a lot more time to prepare, and the boys were very coachable, and once young players are coachable, prepared to listen, and work hard, they will have a chance to be successful, and I am happy for them.

“The overall performance was quite pleasing. I thought it was a team performance, but the most pleasing thing for me is that I made some tactical tweaks, and the boys bought in to it.”

LEADING SCORER

The tweak that made that paid the most dividends was convincing Wiggins, the tournament’s leading scorer with 291 runs at an average of 72.75, to open the batting.

Estwick said the left-hander had batted in the middle order in two previous tournaments with little impact, but he felt he could offer more to the team at the top of the order.

“I felt this year, having looked at him opening, and it really paid off and he bought in to the idea as well,” he said.

“When you plan something like that and it comes off, it works, it’s very pleasing.”

Elsewhere, a tidy all-round performance from Parmeshwar Ram helped to spur Guyana to a 147-run win against hosts Leeward Islands at Liberta – and second place.

Ram, opening the bat, led the way with 60 off 83 balls that included five fours and was one of two batsmen that got half-centuries in the Guyana total of 258 for eight after they were put in to bat.

Emmanuel Lewis made 60 off 55 balls that included five fours and three sixes, and Adrian Hetmyer, nephew of West Indies left-handed batsman Shimron Hetmyer, scored 48.

Ram returned to open the bowling and was one of four Guyanese bowlers that grabbed two wickets before the Leewards were bowled out for 111 in 35.4 overs to finish fifth in the tournament on 7.8 points.

A miserly yet penetrative spell from left-arm pacer Aarion Mohammed set up Trinidad & Tobago, last year’s champions, for an eight-wicket win against Jamaica at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.

Mohammed grabbed four for 17 from his allotted 10 overs and also finished the tournament with 11 wickets, and the Jamaicans were bowled out for 101 in 38.1 overs after they decided to bat.

Demario Hall led the way for Jamaica with a resolute, even 50 off 104 balls before pacer Aiden Owen collected his scalp and ended with three for 14 from 8.1 overs, while T&T captain Zane Maraj added two wickets with his off-spin.

Maraj followed up with a top score of 32 not out, and Zakariyya Mohammed was not out on 29, and T&T reached their target in 19 overs flat, finishing third in the standings on 13.6 points, while Jamaica ended bottom of the table on 5.2.