By WIPA Staff
The recently concluded West Indies Cricket Board Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament, saw the Guyana Jaguars retaining their title for a third successive season. The Jaguars won five (5) of the ten (10) matches played, drawing three (3) and losing two (2). The team led by Captain Leon Johnson, amassed 134.8 points, 10.8 more than runners up Barbados Pride. Trinidad and Tobago Red Force finished third with 102.8 points, Jamaica Scorpions fourth with 102.6, Windward Volcanoes fifth, 97.6 and Leeward Hurricanes 6th, with 89.2 points.
During the tournament, there were some impressive performances, with both bat and ball, as well as in the field. Yanick Cariah of the T&T Red Force was the top run scorer with 691 runs, which included two centuries and a half century, at an average of 43.18. His teammate and captain Kyle Hope was next best with 649 runs, averaging 49.92, with one century and five half centuries. Third in the run scoring chart was Jahmar Hamilton of the Leeward Islands. He scored 648 runs, averaging 46.28 with two centuries and two half centuries.
For the bowlers, Jamaica Scorpions’ captain Nikita Miller topped the charts, with 58 wickets. Imran Khan from the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force was second best with 44 wickets. Third best was shared by Veerasammy Permaul of the Guyana Jaguars and Leeward Hurricane’s Rahkeem Cornwall both taking 41 wickets.
There were some notable individual performances with bat and ball. Jamaica Scorpions’ Nikita Miller took 9-41 against the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, the best individual bowling performance. Roston Chase’s 7-22 vs Windward Volcanoes and Veerasammy Permaul’s 7-48 vs T&T Red Force were just a few of the other impressive performances we saw from the bowlers. For the batsmen, there were 21 centuries and two double centuries, scored throughout the season. Top of that list was Sunil Ambris who scored 231 vs the Leeward Hurricanes. Shai Hope’s 215* vs Guyana was the other double century.
At the end of it all, the 2016/17 season was a good one for both batters and bowlers. Pre-tournament favorites, Guyana Jaguars, though encountering a few hiccups, were the dominant team and deserved winners. The bowlers dominated the tournament, but this year saw an increase in the number of centuries scored. Additionally, a number of U19 players featured during the tournament, some of whom churned out impressive performances.
