ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – With his side in danger of squandering their unbeaten run, Barbados captain Justin Parris answered the call in spectacular fashion.
His clinical 4-wicket haul spearheaded a dramatic collapse of Trinidad and Tobago, lifting Barbados to a commanding 42-run win and their third consecutive victory in the Rising Stars Under-15 tournament at Coolidge Cricket Ground on Saturday.
After being restricted to a modest 158 all out in 44 overs, Barbados looked vulnerable, especially when T&T cruised to 44 for one, their top-order appearing untroubled. But the match flipped on its head when Jahidi Hinds bowled T&T captain Kaiden Pollard for 22, cracking open the door.
Then Parris stormed in.
With metronomic medium pace, he bowled Zion Phillip for 3, forced Davis Guerra into a duck caught behind, and had the well-set Jordan Julien stumped for 30, dismantling T&T’s middle order and dashing their hopes.
From 67 for five, the T&T innings crumbled, succumbing to 116 all out in 36.3 overs. Parris finished with magnificent figures of 4 for 16 from 10 overs, well supported by Asher Branford (2-6) and Joshua Thompson (2-25).
“We just stuck to our plan,” Parris said post-match. “It was about staying disciplined and believing we could defend even a low score.”
Earlier, Barbados’ batting effort was underwhelming until the lower order provided a late surge. Joshua Thompson’s unbeaten 22 and Zarell Harding’s gritty 18 pushed the score from a fragile 110 for eight to a defendable 158.
For T&T, Jayden Sadaphal (3-36), Sanjiv Bachu (2-25), Samuel Stewart (2-26), and Ethan Ramcharan (2-34) had done the early damage but were left to rue the lost opportunity.
Guyana’s dominance: Latif’s hat-trick and Seecharan’s class light up ARG
Over at the Antigua Recreation Ground, Reyaz Latif delivered a spellbinding all-round performance to lead Guyana to a crushing 133-run win over the Windward Islands.
After slipping to 173 for seven in the 35th over, Guyana looked set for a modest total. But opener Lomar Seecharan stood tall with a masterful 93 not out off 129 balls, striking 11 boundaries. He found the perfect partner in Latif, whose fluent 48 not out from 54 balls, including four boundaries, sparked an unbroken 115-run eighth-wicket stand to lift Guyana to a towering 288 for seven.
The Windward Islands’ bowlers were left chasing answers. Jeanille Williams (3-31) was the pick of the attack, but the damage was done.
Then came Latif’s magic with the ball.
Just as the Windwards seemed to steady themselves at 120 for three, Latif decimated the middle order. Jorden Charles (39) fell first, then Latif struck with back-to-back deliveries to remove Jershaun Joseph and Jeanille Williams—both for ducks—completing a stunning hat-trick.
The Windwards folded for 155 in 39.4 overs, undone by Latif’s devastating spell of 6 for 34 in 10 overs.
“It’s a dream game for me,” Latif said. “To bat like that and then take six wickets, including a hat-trick… it doesn’t get better.”
Jamaica holds nerve, hands Leewards fourth defeat
At the Liberta Sports Club, Tesfah Ward rose to the occasion with a commanding 88-run knock, anchoring Jamaica’s total of 240 for six and paving the way for a 35-run win over the Leeward Islands, who remain winless.
Ward found strong support in the form of Andrew Lloyd (36), Wayne Plummer (27), Rajae McGeachy (25), and Zachary Buchanan’s unbeaten 30, giving Jamaica a solid platform. Medium pacers William Pitman and Ondre Peters picked up two wickets each for the Leewards, but their efforts couldn’t keep the total under control.
Jamaica’s bowlers then stepped up.
Eckoney Robinson struck early, removing three top-order batters to reduce the Leewards to 22 for three. Although J’Quan Athanaze mounted a valiant resistance with a polished 97 from 138 balls, laced with nine fours and a six, the lack of support doomed the chase.
The Leewards were eventually bowled out for 205 in the final over. Robinson finished with 4 for 53, and Andrew Lloyd chipped in with 3 for 30, sealing Jamaica’s win.
“I just wanted to play smart and keep the scoreboard ticking,” said Ward. “We knew anything over 230 would be tough to chase on this wicket.”
