Guyana march towards title with third straight win

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Guyana reeled off their third straight win to remain unbeaten, and install themselves as favourites to win the Regional Under-15 Championship here Friday.

Playing at Mona, they restricted Trinidad and Tobago to 171 for nine from their 50 overs and then chased down their target to win by four wickets with 26 balls remaining. Sent in, T&T’s batsmen all got starts but failed to convert. Brandon Singh top-scored with 28, Cephas Cooper added 27, Nathaniel McDavid got 26, Leonardo Julien was not out on 23, Kirstan Kallicharran hit 22 and opener Navin Bedaisee gathered 21.

Ashmead Nedd was the pick of the Guyana bowlers with two for 15 from his ten overs.

In reply, Guyana got 42 from Joshua Persaud and 35 from Steve Deonarine, to lay the foundation for victory. Persaud and Alphius Bookie, who scored 25, put on 65 for the second wicket before Deonarine and Kevin Sinclair (19) added another 53 for the fifth wicket to formalize the result.

At Kensington Park, Dominic Samuels and Kirk McKenzie both stroked hundreds as Jamaica trounced Leeward Islands by 163 runs. Samuels continued his rich vein of form with an unbeaten 111 off 90 balls that included 14 fours and one six while the left-handed McKenzie hit the same score with 10 boundaries from 167 balls, as Jamaica, choosing to bat, amassed 307 for two from their 50 overs.

Zawandi White struck twice in quick succession to leave the Jamaicans 72 for two but Samuels and McKenzie put on 235 in an unbroken third wicket stand to rally the innings.

Leewards then struggled to 144 all out off 41.1 overs, with Uri Smith top-scoring with 44. Raewin Senior grabbed three for 18. At Elletson Road, opener Nico Reifer narrowly missed out on a hundred as Barbados secured a 16-run win over Windward Islands.

Reifer struck nine fours and one six in an unbeaten 95 from 143 balls to lift Barbados to 235 for six from their 50 overs, after they opted to bat first.

In reply, the Windwards finished on 219 for eight with Johnnel Eugene stroking an enterprising 60 off 67 balls that included four fours and four sixes.