ST JOHN’S, Antigua- The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Under-15 tournament wrapped up on Monday, with strong performances over the week-long series of encounters.
Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana each secured series victories in the revised bilateral format, highlighting the depth of emerging young cricket talent in the Caribbean.
The Windward Islands were most dominant in their series against the Leeward Islands by sweeping the series five games to nil in Antigua.
Following a 51-run victory to start the series, the Windwards then propelled their way to a narrow 30-run triumph in the second encounter at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
Derwin Lewis stood out with the innings of the tournament, cracking an impressive 102 from 128 balls to power the Windwards to a comfortable 61-run victory, and an unassailable lead in the series.
Lewis, the rangy left hander stroked eight fours and four sixes in his innings which took the Windwards to the highest total of the tournament of 217. Dylan John was another standout performer from the visiting team, spearheading their bowling and finishing the series with ten wickets.
Over in Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago battled their way to a 3–1 series victory, with one match being abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. The series began with a nail-biting two-wicket win via the Duckworth–Lewis Method at Melbourne Oval.
After restricting the hosts to 96 for 9 in a match reduced to 34 overs, Trinidad & Tobago chased down the target, reaching 102 for 8 in the 29th over. They then followed up with a dominant 39-run victory in the second match, highlighted by a magnificent bowling performance from Arnaldo Premchand, who claimed seven wickets for just six runs to dismiss Jamaica for 47 while defending a modest total of 86.
The visitors secured the series with an impressive 39-run victory in the fourth match at Boys Town Playing Field. After posting 183 for 9 from their allotted overs, Trinidad & Tobago bowled out Jamaica for 144 inside 47 overs.
Premchand and Samir Boodoo each claimed three wickets, reinforcing their team’s dominance over the hosts.
Jamaica, however, managed a consolation win in the final match of the series, claiming a five-wicket victory at Melbourne Oval. The hosts were led by Hugh Turner’s outstanding five-wicket haul, which helped to dismiss the visitors for just 74. Jamaica then comfortably reached 75 for 5 with 142 balls remaining.
Premchand ended the series as the leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets, while Turner finished with nine wickets from three matches.
In the third series, hosts Guyana completed a 2–0 series win over Barbados in a contest disrupted by severe weather conditions affecting the country.
In the second match, which was rescheduled to the Police Cricket Ground, Guyana posted 137 for 8 in a game reduced to 31 overs per side. In response, Barbados were bowled out for 61 in just 21 overs, giving Guyana a commanding 76-run victory. Leon Reddy starred with the ball, taking 4 for 8.
In Monday’s final match, Lomar Seecharan delivered another standout performance, claiming 4 wickets for just 5 runs to restrict Barbados to 79 for 9 in their 20 overs, as they chased Guyana’s target of 116.
Fans wishing to review the full details of each match are encouraged to visit the Match Centre on www.windiescricket.com , while those looking to view the ball-by-ball action can do so by visiting “Live” segment of the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
