KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC — Leeward Islands suffered a heavy 147-run defeat to Jamaica but still emerged Regional Under-19 three-day champions at the end of the third and final round of games here yesterday.
Beginning the final day at Stubbs on seven without loss in pursuit of 316 for victory, the Leewards were bowled out for 168 to suffer their only defeat of the three-day phase, following victories in the previous two rounds.
They finished on 37.8 points and barely edged out Trinidad and Tobago who clobbered Guyana by an innings and 48 runs at Sion Hill, to end on 37 points.
With the victory, Jamaica leapfrogged Barbados to end in third spot on 36.4 points while the Barbadians, who drew with Windward Islands at Arnos Vale Stadium, finished on 30.1 points.
The Windwards were fifth on 19.2 with Guyana last on 10.1.
Chasing an improbable target, the Leewards were boosted when Tyrone Williams stroked exactly 50 and Kofi James, 39, in an excellent opening stand of 92.
Williams struck five fours and two sixes off 71 deliveries while James faced 60 balls and counted six fours.
However, once left-arm spinner Jeavor Royal removed both in the same over, the innings went into a tail spin and never recovered.
Royal claimed the impeccable figures of seven for 64 to end with a match haul of 12 for 124.
Trinidad and Tobago, meanwhile, joined Jamaica in winners’ row as they made light work of the luckless Guyanese, who lost all three games.
They grabbed the remaining seven wickets as Guyana, resuming on 102 for three in search of a further 109 to avoid an innings defeat, crumbled for 163 all out.
Bhaskar Yadram, unbeaten overnight on 67, carried on for 84 in an innings lasting 156 balls and including eight fours and a six. However, wickets fell steadily around him as off-spinner Jonathan Bootan claimed three for 37 to end with match figures of 10 for 60.
Fast bowler Jarlanie Seales finished with three for 31.
There was some drama in the other game as Barbados, set 277 for victory, came up just short at 265 for nine with opener Shian Brathwaite top-scoring with 78 and Dominic Drakes gathering a cameo unbeaten 61.
They lost Leniko Boucher cheaply for nine with the score on 17 but Brathwaite added 48 for the second wicket with Yvan Grant (15) and exactly 50 for the fifth wicket with Deswin Currency (34) to keep Barbados’ run chase alive.
When Brathwaite fell after striking nine fours in an innings lasting 157 balls in just over 3-¼ hours at the crease, number eight Drakes arrived to belt one four and four sixes off a mere 51 deliveries — his second half-century of the game — as Barbados rallied.
He put on 62 for the seventh wicket with Joshua Bishop who made 24, but off-spinner Alick Athanaze, with six for 67, kept the Windwards in the game before the stalemate was arrived at.
Earlier, Emmanuel Stewart had missed out on a hundred when he fell for 93 as the Windwards, resuming on 170 for three, declared on 230 for five in their second innings.
Unbeaten on 76 overnight, Stewart faced 199 balls in just under 4-¾ hours overall, and struck eight fours and two sixes.
The one-day phase of the tournament bowls off next Wednesday.
