WILDEY, Barbados, CMC – Windward Islands notched their first victory when they beat the luckless ICC Americas by 42 runs in their fifth round match of the Regional Under-19 one-day Championship here yesterday.
In a game reduced to 29 overs because of wet conditions at the LIME Sports Club, the Windwards finished on 171 for seven after they were sent in.
Opener Gidron Pope anchored the innings with an unbeaten 72 while Taryck Gabriel got 25.
ICC Americas were then restricted to 129 for eight from their allotted overs, to remain winless in the competition.
Kamau Leverock smashed a cameo 56 but got no support, leaving the Americas side well short of their target.
When play bowled off at 1 pm, the Windwards stumbled at the start when Keone George fell without scoring to the third ball of the innings with the score on one.
Pope then assumed responsibility for the innings, smacking seven fours and two sixes in a breezy knock that consumed 77 balls, and underpinning a series of small partnerships that saw the Windwards to their total.
He put on 35 for the second wicket with Jerlani Robinson (15), 37 for the third wicket with Gabriel and a further 40 with Ray Jordan (13) for the seventh wicket.
Manny Aulakh (2-25) and Rayankhan Pathan (2-28) finished with two wickets apiece.
Fast bowlers Jordan (3-38) and Preston McSween (2-15) then knocked over the ICC Americas top order in quick time, leaving the innings floundering at 20 for four in the seventh over.
Leverock and opener Akash Shah (28) then added an entertaining 86 for the fifth wicket, with Leverock smashing three fours and four sixes off just 53 balls.
Once Shah fell at the end of the 24th, ICC Americas lost four wickets for seven runs in the space of 11 balls to end any hope of a victory.
