A purposeful 81 from former West Indies Under-19 captain Ackeem Auguste was overshadowed by a hat trick from leg-spinner Gavin Hoey, which set the stage for hosts Emerging Ireland to sweep the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Academy 3-0 in their One-day series with a four-wicket win Friday.
Auguste, 20, was the cornerstone of the Caribbean side’s batting, but Hoey’s hat trick, removing McKenny Clarke, Kelvin Pitman, and Onaje Amory off successive balls in his final over, ensured the visitors were bowled out for 236 in 43 overs after they decided to bat in the third and final match of the 50 over-a-side List ‘A’ series at the Bready Cricket Club.
CWI Academy captain Nyeem Young then grabbed three for 56 from nine overs, but consistent batting from the Irish top order, led by Morgan Topping with 46 and Seamus Lynch with 45 not out, enabled the hosts to successfully chase their target with 66 balls remaining.
The Caribbean side previously lost the first match of the series by six wickets this past Tuesday at Woodvale Road, and the second match by one wicket off the penultimate ball the following day at this venue.
Young and his side will be hoping for greater success when the two sides play two four-day first-class matches, starting on June 18 at North Down, and June 25 at Stormont.
CWI Academy’s innings
CWI Academy, batting first for the third time in the series, ended the first Power Play on 47 for one after losing opener Kadeem Alleyne for 13 in the fourth over. They then stumbled to 67 for three in the 16th over after Leonardo Julien made 18 and Jewel Andrew got 17.
St Lucian Auguste came to the crease and steadied the innings with a stand of 83 for the fourth wicket with Teddy Bishop. However, both fell within five overs of each other, and there was little substance from the rest of the batting, with Hoey taking the last three wickets off successive balls to bring the innings to a thrilling end.
Bishop made 46 and Joshua James was not out on 26. Hoey ended with four for 45 from his allotted 10 overs, and Oliver Riley finished with three for 38 from nine overs.
Emerging Ireland’s chase
CWI Academy met resistance from the start of the Emerging Ireland chase when opener Christopher De Freitas made 38 and shared 56 with fellow opener Kian Hilton.
However, the Caribbean side fought back and reduced the hosts to 92 for three in the 18th over, but a partnership of 64 for the fourth wicket between Topping and Scott MacBeth pulled them out of trouble.
MacBeth got 36, but three wickets – two to Young – between the 29th and 34th overs brought CWI Academy back into the contest before Lynch and Liam McCarthy, not out on 20, were able to usher Emerging Ireland over the finish line.
The series sweep by Emerging Ireland highlighted the need for improvement and consistency in the CWI Academy’s performance. As the teams prepare for the upcoming four-day matches, the Caribbean side will be looking to regroup and put up a stronger fight.
 Academy 3-0 in their One-day series with a four-wicket win Friday.){kind=link}