BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Hosts Barbados remained unbeaten but reigning champions Trinidad and Tobago slumped to their second loss in three outings, in the third round of the Regional Under-15 Championship here Monday.
Playing at the Windward Cricket Club in the southern parish of St Phillip, Barbados trounced Jamaica by 89 runs behind a marvellous unbeaten hundred from the enterprising Jacob Bethell and a six-wicket haul from new-ball bowler Romario Brathwaite.
Leeward Islands followed in similar vein when they beat the Trinidadians by 15 runs at KMV Oval in the rural northern parish of St Andrew and Windward Islands were also in winner’s row when they got the better of Guyana by 14 runs in a contest at Weymouth A in the capital.
However, it was the left-handed Bethell who took centre stage when he punched the first hundred of the campaign.
He batted through the innings to end on exactly 100 not out as Barbados, opting for first knock, tallied 222 for eight off their 50 overs.
Left-hander Jacob Bethell … struck an unbeaten century in Barbados’ victory.
Bethell put on 113 for the first wicket with Giovante DePeiza who made 44 and a further 53 for the third wicket with Thierry Walcott who scored 25.
All told, Bethell faced 137 deliveries and struck seven fours.
Brandon English led Jamaica with three for 26 while Rajiv Redhi picked up two for 28.
Medium pacer Brathwaite then wrecked Jamaica’s innings with a spell of six for 20, sending them tumbling for 133 all out off 39.5 overs.
The Jamaicans were tottering on 22 for three in the sixth over and never recovered despite knocks of 27 from Shemar Phillips and 20 from Noris Tenn.
The best stand of the innings was 31 for the seventh wicket between Tenn and Redhi who made 17.
T&T, meanwhile, failed to defend 169 and were soundly beaten to follow up their opening round defeat to Jamaica.
Opting to bat first, they were limited to 168 for eight off their 50 overs with Darren Samlal top-scoring with 44 not out, Kyle Roopchand chipping in with 22 and Tariq Mohammed getting 21.
T&T appeared in good shape at 95 for two and then 150 for five but lost wickets in clustered to deteriorate badly.
Mohammed and Sachin Emrit (12) put on 46 for the third wicket and when three wickets fell with the score on 95 in the space of 10 balls, Samlal and Chadeon Raymond (17) stitched up the innings in a 55-run, sixth wicket partnership.
In their turn at the crease, the Lewwards cruised to their target in the 43rd over with Carlton Tuckett getting 40, T’Jhari Clarke, 27, and Anderson Amurdan, 25.
They lost Rasheed Henry cheaply for two in the third over with five runs on the board but Tuckett and Amurdan put the innings back on course with a 64-run, second wicket partnership.
Tuckett, in particular, was aggressive, striking seven fours in his breezy 37-ball knock.
In the other game, Teddy Bishop hit 51 as the Windwards rallied to 162 all out in the final over, after choosing to bat first.
Medium pacer Sheldon Charles claimed for four 28 while left-arm spinner Hemraj Harrilall picked up two for 25.
In reply, Guyana were restricted to 148 off 48.3 overs as Udell Preville (3-23) and Ackeem Auguste (3-32) ran through the innings with three wickets apiece.
Marvan Prashad struck 40 and Charles, 39, in a 38-run stand that pushed Guyana up to 96 for three in the 33rd over but once the partnership was broken, the last seven wickets perished for 52 runs.
