Perfect Barbados surge into Rising Stars final with 5th straight win
Key Points(5)
- Barbados cemented their status as the team to beat in the Cricket West Indies Rising Stars Men's Under-19 50-Over Championship on Monday, extending their unbeaten run to five matches with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Jamaica to secure a place in Wednesday's final.
- The Young Bajans have dominated the tournament from start to finish, blending disciplined bowling with aggressive batting to complete a flawless round-robin campaign.
- Their latest triumph underscored that superiority, as they dismantled Jamaica before comfortably chasing down a modest target with more than 35 overs to spare.
- Meanwhile, the Windward Islands produced the most lopsided victory of the day with a crushing 219-run demolition of Guyana, while Trinidad and Tobago kept their championship hopes alive by overcoming the Leeward Islands in a tense run chase.
- Harding headlines Barbados' clinical performance Playing at Bethesda Sports Ground, Barbados seized control almost immediately after Jamaica elected to bat, with fast bowler Zarell Harding leading a relentless attack that never allowed the innings to settle.
Barbados cemented their status as the team to beat in the Cricket West Indies Rising Stars Men's Under-19 50-Over Championship on Monday, extending their unbeaten run to five matches with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Jamaica to secure a place in Wednesday's final.
The Young Bajans have dominated the tournament from start to finish, blending disciplined bowling with aggressive batting to complete a flawless round-robin campaign. Their latest triumph underscored that superiority, as they dismantled Jamaica before comfortably chasing down a modest target with more than 35 overs to spare.
Meanwhile, the Windward Islands produced the most lopsided victory of the day with a crushing 219-run demolition of Guyana, while Trinidad and Tobago kept their championship hopes alive by overcoming the Leeward Islands in a tense run chase.
Harding headlines Barbados' clinical performance
Playing at Bethesda Sports Ground, Barbados seized control almost immediately after Jamaica elected to bat, with fast bowler Zarell Harding leading a relentless attack that never allowed the innings to settle.
Harding ripped through the Jamaican batting lineup, returning outstanding figures of 4-24, while Justin Parris provided the perfect complement with 3-17 as Jamaica collapsed for 107 in 27.5 overs.
The innings unraveled rapidly after the top order failed to establish a foundation. Jamaica slumped to 69-7 in the 22nd over, leaving the lower order with the daunting task of preventing a complete collapse.
Only Geovanni Grey, who struck 24, offered meaningful resistance, while Joel Williams remained unbeaten on 16, but neither innings could prevent Barbados from tightening their grip on the contest.
Run chase completed in a hurry
With only 108 required, Barbados wasted little time imposing themselves with the bat.
Jordan Graham led the scoring with a brisk 29, captain Gadson Bowens contributed 21, and Kemar Dixon calmly finished unbeaten on 19 as Barbados cruised to 110-3 in just 14.4 overs.
The emphatic chase completed a perfect preliminary campaign and sent Barbados into the championship match brimming with confidence as they pursue consecutive regional Under-19 titles.
Windwards flatten Guyana in one-sided contest
At Pigotts Sports Ground, the Windward Islands delivered a complete performance to overwhelm Guyana by 219 runs, producing one of the tournament's most dominant victories.
After choosing to bat, the Windwards amassed an imposing 315-9, powered by a polished 87 from Theo Edward and an aggressive 73 by Derwin Lewis. Cody Fontinelle added valuable support with 33, ensuring the innings maintained momentum throughout.
Guyana's bowlers found some success through Adrian Hetmyer, who claimed 4-47, while Gilbert Griffith collected 3-36, but neither could prevent the Windwards from posting a daunting total.
Any hopes of a competitive chase quickly disappeared.
Guyana crumbled to 29-7 before recovering only marginally, eventually being dismissed for 96 in 17.1 overs. Darwin Joseph's unbeaten 33 was the lone bright spot in an otherwise disastrous innings.
The Windwards' pace attack proved devastating, with Elran Glasgow taking 4-30 and Tyler Venner grabbing 3-11 to complete the comprehensive rout.
Trinidad and Tobago keep final dreams alive
At Liberta Sports Club, Trinidad and Tobago survived a sterner examination, defeating the Leeward Islands by four wickets to remain in contention heading into the championship finale.
The Leewards posted a challenging 270-9 after Eirette Richards compiled a fine 83 and Matthew Miller added 65, while Tanez Francis chipped in with 38.
Despite those contributions, Trinidad and Tobago's bowlers prevented the innings from gathering greater momentum. Qadeer Juman produced an excellent spell of 4-29, supported by Christian Lall, whose 3-15 proved equally influential.
Chasing 271, Trinidad and Tobago built their response around an outstanding 88 from Tariq Richards, who narrowly missed out on a century but anchored the innings with maturity and authority.
He received valuable assistance from Ethan Ramchran, who made 48, and Levi Ghanny, whose 47 kept the chase on course despite Kunal Tolokani's impressive 3-38 for the Leewards.
The Red Force ultimately reached 273-6 with 10 balls remaining, completing an important victory that preserved their hopes as Barbados advanced to the title match carrying the tournament's only perfect record.
