Cricket West Indies (CWI), on Saturday, paid tribute to Bruce Pairaudeau, the former West Indies and Guyana batsman who passed away at age 91 in New Zealand where he has resided since the late 1950s. 

Pairaudeau was a stylish middle-order batsman, who made a century on his Test debut against India at the Queen’s Park Oval in 1953. On that occasion he scored 115 and added a then record stand of 219 for the fifth wicket with Sir Everton Weekes, who made 207. He ended his Test career in 1957 amassing 454 runs in 13 matches.

Pairaudeau made his first-class debut for then British Guiana at age 15 and played 89 first-class matches, where he scored 4930 runs with 11 centuries. A significant portion of his first-class career was with Northern Districts in New Zealand, where he led them to the Plunket Shield title.

Speaking on behalf of CWI, President Ricky Skerrit said: “Bruce Pairaudeau was one of the pioneers of the game in Guyana and the West Indies who played a significant role in paving the way for others to follow, and for this he will always be remembered. He was a highly-regarded batsman who made an immediate impression on the world stage with a top-class century on debut. After he moved to New Zealand, he never lost touch with West Indies cricket and would always visit the team whenever they toured to offer his support and encouragement. CWI hereby extends our deepest condolences to his family and many friends.”

Despite concerns over his Jamaica Premier League champions Harbour View FC having a target on their backs this season, head coach Ludlow Bernard believes his team is prepared enough to get off to a good start to the 2022/2023 season which gets underway in just over a week’s time.

Harbour View opens its title defense against newcomers Chapleton Maroons at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex in Arnett Gardens and Bernard knows that to go from being underdogs to defending champions can bring unwanted pressure and is a cause for concern.

“It has to be a concern because some of the players will be in a territory that they are not accustomed to,” he told Sportsmax.TV at the launch of the 2022/2023 Jamaica Premier League season at Chillin Restaurant and Bar on Holborn Road in Kingston on Thursday night.

“What is even going to make it even more challenging is that we will be going to the oppositions’ venues.”

However, Bernard, who in 2021 became the first coach to win titles with a high school team (Kingston College) and the Premier League title, believes the expected pressure could make the team better.

“Development-wise I think it’s good for them. It’s good that they get that kind of experience but I think we would have prepared them well over the last season to deal with the rigours of relegation, going to the opposition home venue and the thrust and grind of the league itself so we are looking forward to it and we will be prepared.”

Harbour View lost a couple of players in the form of influential mid-fielder Shamar Dyer who is now playing in Antigua and Phillan Lawrence, who has not reported back to the club for reasons unknown.

 However, they have bolstered the roster with Trayvon Reid, goalkeeper David Martin, Romario Palma and Demar Rose, who Bernard believes will be a good addition to the club.

“Demar Rose is somebody that I have worked with before and a player that I admire and think would fit into our system so we expect that the fire-power will be there and we are looking forward to a good start,” Bernard said of the midfielder who came up through the Harbour View FC youth system having played with the Stars of the East from the U13 through to the U20 programmes.

A good start, Bernard continued, is going to be instrumental to the club enhancing their chances of a winning sixth Premier League title this coming season.

“The aim is to get out of the blocks as quickly as possible because there will be a break in November and we don’t want to get caught behind,” he said.

“Preparations have been a little bit behind. I think, probably, we need a couple more games but the experience that we have I think we should be able to manage ourselves in the early rounds at the start.”

Police CA, St. Elizabeth CA, St. James CA and the Jamaica Defence Force will contest the semi-finals of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) T20 Bashment at Sabina Park on Saturday.

Police are, so far, unbeaten in the competition having won five games and having two abandoned due to rain to finish top of Pool 3.

In the quarterfinals last Saturday, they secured a 27-run win over Kingston Cricket Club at Chedwin Park to advance to the last four. They batted first and made 132-6 from their 20 overs thanks to a top-score of 51 off as many deliveries from Courtney Allen that included one four and four sixes. Medium-pacer Andre Bailey took 3-37 for Kingston. In reply, Kingston could only manage 105-9 from their 20 overs as pacer Kemar Anderson starred with 3-13 from four overs for Police. Johnois Sappleton also bowled well with 3-18 from his four overs.

St. Elizabeth CA, Police’s opponents in the first semi-final on Saturday, are also unbeaten having won five matches and having one abandoned to top Pool 1.

They reached the last four after a comfortable eight-wicket win over Pool 2 runners up Clarendon CC in the second game at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium last Saturday. Batting first, Clarendon were restricted to 125 all out from 19.5 overs. Jamaica Under-19 representative Adrian Weir top-scored with 47 against medium-pacer Andre McCarty’s 3-16 from four overs. Romaine Nembhard supported with 3-30 from his spell. St. Elizabeth then only needed 17.4 overs to reach 126-2 thanks to Bryan Gayle’s 69 not out from 52 deliveries including six fours and three sixes.

The second quarterfinal at Chedwin Park saw Pool 4 winners JDF secure a dominant 76-run win over Pool 3 runners up Kensington Cricket Club to continue their quest to add to their All-Island 50-Over title from earlier this year.

Batting first, JDF scored 152-6 from their 20 overs thanks to 38 from opener Kevin Daley and late contributions from Jamaica Scorpions pacer Gordon Bryan (29 not out) and captain Leighton Leslie (27 not out). Kensington skipper Ryan Francis took 2-28 from his four overs. Kensington’s chase never got going as only two players got into double figures before they were dismissed for a paltry 76 in 16.5 overs. Daley capped a fine all-round display with 4-12 from his four overs while Bryan chipped in with 2-19 from three overs and five deliveries.

JDF’s opponents in the second semi-final will be Pool 1 runners up St. James CA who got by Pool 2 winners Manchester CC by six wickets in the first match at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium last Saturday.

Manchester batted first and made 153-8 from their 20 overs thanks to 47 not out off 23 balls from Brian Clarke and scores of 26 and 24 from Brad Barnes and Jamaine Morgan, respectively. Ziggy Levy took 3-40 from his four overs. Levy then returned to anchor the successful chase for St. James, making a 45-ball 65 not out including eight fours and two sixes at St. James reached 156-4 off their 20 overs. Omari Wright provided good support for Levy with 34 while Morgan took 2-19 from his four overs for Manchester.

Semi-final one bowls off at 9:00 am while the second is scheduled for 2:00 pm. The final will take place on Sunday, also at Sabina Park.

West Indies will again be part of one of cricket’s great traditions on the upcoming Test tour of Australia. As part of the preparations for the two-match series the visitors will have a four-day pink ball match against the Australia Prime Minister’s XI.

This will be played at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday 23 November to Saturday 26 November. The day/might match will be played under lights and will recognize the anniversary of the inaugural fixture in 1951, also against the West Indies.

The match will also form part of the team’s preparations for the series against the Aussies, which will feature the first pink ball Test between the two teams. It will be played on 8 to 12 December at the Adelaide Oval following the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth on 30 November to 4 December. The series will be contested for the prestigious Frank Worrell Trophy – named in honor of the legendary West Indies captain. It will also form part of the ICC World Test Championship. 

Australia Prime Minister the Hon Mr Anthony Albanese said: “I am delighted to confirm the return of the Prime Minister’s XI this summer, an Australian tradition that spans 70 years. Along with Cricket Australia, I am very excited to be welcoming the West Indies. I grew up loving watching Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner, so I’m thrilled my first PM’s XI as Prime Minister will be against the current West Indies stars here in Canberra.”

West indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite said: “We’re looking forward to this tour of Australia and there is great energy and readiness in our camp. The match against the Prime Minister’s XI is a major part of the cricket calendar and it will be an honor to lead the West Indies in such a prestigious match.” He added: “My preparation has been going well. I’ve been home for a while so I have been able to do plenty of drills and fitness work as well as playing club cricket and other tournaments … spending time in the middle … for what will be a major tour for us. We have been playing some good Test cricket this year, with very good series wins against England and Bangladesh, and we want to make greater strides in the ICC World Test Championship table.”

Defending champions Kingston College and finalists Jamaica College were both in fine goalscoring form as action continued in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup this week.

KC remained perfect after seven games in Group A with an 8-0 thumping of Waterford at Stadium East on Monday. 22-time champions St. George’s College are three points behind their North Street rivals after a 2-1 win over Calabar at Winchester Park while Meadowbrook and Ardenne played out a 1-1 draw at the Constant Spring Field in the other game.

On Tuesday, Jamaica College put nine past Holy Trinity without conceding at home to move to 19 points from seven games to lead Group B. Second-placed St. Catherine, the defending Walker Cup champions, suffered a setback with a 1-2 loss to third-placed St. Jago at the Spanish Town Prison Oval to remain on 16 points after their seven games. St. Jago trail them by four points in third. Cedar Grove beat St. Mary’s College 2-0 at home in the group’s other game.

Also on Tuesday, Charlie Smith and Haile Selassie both secured wins to stretch the gap between themselves and the rest of Group C. Leaders Charlie Smith got by Edith Dalton James 2-1 at Edith Dalton to move to 20 points from their eight games. Haile Selassie got a crucial 1-0 win over Tivoli at home to move to 17 points from their eight games. Their opponents are third with 10 points but have a game in hand over the top two. Bridgeport are two points behind Tivoli in fourth after a 2-1 win over Vauxhall at Dunbeholden.

In Group D play on Saturday, leaders STATHS and second-placed Jonathan Grant played out a 3-3 draw in a top-of-the-table clash at Jonathan Grant. STATHS still leads the group with 18 points from eight games while Jonathan Grant are just a point behind while having played one less game. Norman Manley have also played seven games and are four points behind Jonathan Grant in third after a 3-0 win over Spanish Town at Maxfield Park. Tarrant beat Dunoon 5-0 at Excelsior in the other game.

Mona now has 24 points out of a possible 24 to lead Group E after securing a 1-0 win over Wolmer’s Boys at home on Tuesday. Wolmer’s remain second in the group on 15 points from their eight games. Hydel missed out on a chance to leapfrog Wolmer’s and are now within a point of them in third after a 0-0 draw with Camperdown at Royal Lakes. Papine won the battle of the two bottom teams in the group 2-0 over Kingston High at Papine.

Excelsior and Campion College continue to set the pace in Group F after home wins over Clan Carthy and Cumberland, respectively. Excelsior won 2-0 to move to 20 points from eight matches while Campion College were 4-0 winners to move to 16 points from their eight games. Kingston Technical beat Jose Marti 1-0 to join their opponents on 11 points.

Munro College handed STETHS their first loss of the season in the ISSA/Digicel daCosta Cup on Tuesday.

In the game played at Munro, the hosts got a vital 1-0 win over the Zone E leaders to move to 16 points from nine games, eight points adrift of the five-time champions and level on points with second placed B.B Coke who beat Maggotty 2-0 at STETHS. Lacovia beat Sydney Pagon 1-0 at home in Tuesday’s other zone game.

A Zone A double-header at Cornwall College saw the hosts and Irwin High come out as winners over St. James High and Anchovy, respectively.

Irwin secured a 5-1 win over Anchovy to move to 21 points from their nine games to lead the zone by six points ahead of Cornwall who stretched the gap between them and third-placed Green Pond to four points with a crucial 1-0 win over St. James. Green Pond and Maldon played out a 0-0 draw at Green Pond in the other game.

In Zone B, Frome remained perfect after seven games with a 3-1 home win over Green Island on Wednesday. Hopewell and Merlene Ottey played out a 2-2 draw at the Orchard Sports Complex in the zone’s other Wednesday game whereas on Monday, Rusea’s beat Green Island 2-1 at home to move to 18 points from seven games, trailing the leaders by three points.

William Knibb hammered Cedric Titus 6-0 in a Zone C top-of-the-table clash at William Knibb on Wednesday. Entering the game, both teams had 16 points from six games but now William Knibb have 19. Spot Valley are third in the zone with eight points after a 4-0 away win over Muschett.

In a clash of the top two teams in Zone D, Manning’s and Petersfield played out a 1-1 draw at Petersfield. Manning’s now have 23 points from their nine games while Petersfield trail them by seven while playing one less game. Godfrey Stewart moved to 12 points from nine games in third thanks to a 4-1 win over Grange Hill while Belmont Academy lost 0-1 away to Black River in the other game.

Zone F may be the most evenly poised in the first round as three teams have 19 points. Manchester leads the zone with 19 points from eight games with a goal difference of 23 after a 7-0 win over May Day at Kirkvine. They also beat May Day 8-0 at May Day on Monday. DeCarteret College and Belair are the other two teams with 19 points and have goal differences of 15 and 12, respectively. They played out a 0-0 draw at Belair on Wednesday. Both DeCarteret College and Belair have played one more match than Manchester. Wednesday’s other match saw Bellefield and Mt. St. Joseph play out a 2-2 draw at Bellefield.

Christiana and Mile Gully both moved within three points of leaders Holmwood in Zone G after a 0-0 draw at Christiana. They both have 11 points from six and seven matches, respectively. Mile Gully trail Christiana by three on goal difference.

Clarendon College have seven wins from as many games after an 8-0 hammering of Thompson Town at Turner’s Oval on Wednesday to lead Zone H. In the day’s other game, Lennon High moved to 13 points after eight games with a 1-0 win over Kellits High at Morant Housing Scheme. Also at the Morant Housing Scheme, Edwin Allen beat Kellits 4-1 on Monday to move within seven points of Clarendon College. They’ve also played seven games.

York Castle moved eight points clear in Zone I after a 2-0 win over Oracabessa at Clemhard’s Park on Monday. They now have 19 points from seven games. Browns Town beat Marcus Garvey 2-0 at home to second in the zone.

Paul Bogle rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 3-2 home win over Morant Bay to remain at the top of Zone L with 21 points from nine games. Yallahs have played the same number of games as Paul Bogle and moved within four points of the leaders with a 2-1 win over St. Thomas Tech at the Eastern Banana Complex.

Glenmuir got their fifth win in as many games to move to the top of Zone M. They beat Old Harbour 5-0 at home to move level on points with Central High who have played one more match and trail them by 11 on goal difference. Denbigh hammered Tacius Golding 8-0 at home in the zone’s other match on the day.

Zone N’s top two teams, defending champions Garvey Maceo and Vere, both were in the win column once again. Garvey Maceo moved to 19 points from seven games after a 2-1 win over Foga Road at Foga Road while Vere moved to 13 points from their seven outings after claiming a 3-1 away win over Kemps Hill.

Several of the teams down to participate in the Americas Netball World Cup Qualifier which begins on Sunday at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston, have already arrived ready to do battle for spots in the Netball World Cup.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is hopeful Jamaica international Leon Bailey will be available for Sunday’s clash against Chelsea.  The 25-year-old forward, who has been plagued by his fair share of injuries since moving to the club, missed the team’s encounter against Nottingham Forest on Monday.

The result put more pressure on Gerrard as the team struggled to break down a resolute Forrest backline.  Bailey, who has started in 6 of the team’s 8 games, has only scored once but has more successful dribbles in the 18-yard box than any other Villa player and has also delivered the most crosses (19).

The Jamaican has, however, since returned to training and Gerrard is hopeful the player will be able to return to the line-up to give the team a needed boost for what is expected to be a difficult fixture.

“Hopefully. He was out on training pitch running at 70, 80 per cent yesterday so hopefully, with no reaction, we can push him and get him available,” Gerrard said.

The coach also hinted that there could also be several changes in the team’s line-up ahead of the encounter.

“There could be a few changes in the team. It could be pretty quick.”

Five lucky winners and their friends won trips of a lifetime to watch the Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 finals between the Barbados Royals and the Jamaica Tallawahs at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday, September 30, 2022.

Known to not miss an opportunity to give customers more, Digicel and SportsMax hosted a stream-to-win competition giving every customer who purchased a Digicel Prime Bundle and streamed the CPL T20 games live from August 31 to September 16, a chance to win a trip to the finals.

The user from each participating market with the most time spent in-app during this period won the chance to catch the biggest party in sport, up close and personal.

Dennis Henry from Jamaica, Allan Sirjoo from Trinidad & Tobago, Carlton Alwin John from Guyana, Havie Stephen from St. Lucia and Kalia Huggins from St. Kitts & Nevis all emerged winners.

“It’s been an exciting CPL 2022 season! We are happy that the Jamaica Tallawahs came out on top to secure their third CPL title, bringing the trophy home to Jamaica,” said Tari Lovell, Head of Marketing, Digital Services, at Digicel Group.

“Thanks to the SportsMax app, I haven’t missed a moment of the action and I know our winners feel the same way too. I just want to congratulate them once more and thank them for choosing Digicel and SportsMax.”

This year the Barbados Royals, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Saint Lucia Kings, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs and Trinbago Knight Riders all went head to head to battle for the coveted CPL T20 title.

Cricket fans were able to stream live matches all season long on the SportsMax app using their superfast Digicel LTE prime data bundles, or on the SportsMax channels on Digicel+.

The technical staff of Jamaica’s Senior Women’s football team have signed one-year contracts with the Jamaica Football Federation.

Ball-smashing T20 star Chris Gayle believes the West Indies could struggle at the upcoming World Cup, a tournament that they will head into with a new generation of players.

For the first time in decades, the likes of Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, and Andre Russell will not be a part of the team.  While Bravo and Pollard have retired from international cricket, Russell was not selected for the squad after an indifferent run of form.

Instead, the unit will feature the likes of burgeoning T20 star Nicholas Pooran and a host of other talented players yet to prove themselves on the international stage for the Caribbean team.

"It will be very difficult for the West Indies team as the captain of the team is new and there is no Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, and Bravo in the team," Gayle told India daily Dainik Jagran.

Despite the relative lack of experience, Gayle believes the team’s talent could, however, make them a dangerous prospect for any opponent on a given day.

"Yes, it is definitely that the players who are included in the West Indies team are talented and can prove to be dangerous for any team. As everyone knows it is just a matter of adapting your strategy in the right way on match day. I hope the team plays well," he added.

The West Indies will bow into action with a Group Stage encounter against Scotland on Sunday.

Wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble smashed a century to help Berbice secure a sizeable 189 run win over Demerara in the Guyana Cricket Board’s Senior Inter-County 50-over championship on Monday.

Watched by a fair-sized crowd at Bourda, Berbice won the toss and opted to bat first in a game reduced to 45 overs due to early morning rain.

It proved to be a good call by captain Veerasammy Permaul, as Berbice proceeded to dominate the Demerara bowling attack.

Bramble and 19-year-old debutant Rampertab Ramnauth set the tone for the innings with a 91-run opening partnership in 14 overs. Ramnauth made 36 off 50 balls (4x4s).

Bramble and West Indies left-hander Shimron Hetmyer then proceeded to put the game beyond Demerara, adding 105 for the second wicket in just 12.4 overs.

Demerara found some relief when Bramble was trapped leg before for 106 off 83 (14x4s, 2x6s), and Hetmyer was dismissed shortly after for 58 off 46 (2x4s, 3x6s) at 230-3 in the 32^nd over, but that only opened the floodgates as Jonathan Foo and Romario Shepherd went into T20 mode.

The pair racked up 88 in 8.4 overs for the fourth wicket to deny Demerara any chance of making a fightback. Shepherd hit two fours and four sixes in a whirlwind 40 off 28 balls, and Foo slammed 71 off 45 (5x4s, 4x6s).

Kevin Sinclair chipped in at the end with 15 not out off nine balls, as Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed took 3-66 off his nine overs.

Faced with a stiff target against a potent bowling attack, Demerara slipped to 6-2 with Chandrapaul Hemraj and Tevin Imlach both falling for two.

Opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul and skipper Leon Johnson put on 85 for the third wicket, but once both were dismissed and Christopher Barnwell soon followed, the damage was done.

Johnson top-scored with 51 off 47 (7x4s, 1×6), Chanderpaul made 39 off 50 (4x4s, 1×6) and Akshyana Persaud scored 37 off 25 (1×4, 4x6s) as Demerara folded to Berbice’s spin-heavy bowling attack.

The hosts were eventually dismissed for 174 in 29.3 overs with left-arm spinner Permaul taking 3-30, off-spinner Kevin Sinclair 3-42 and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie 2-32.

Summary: Berbice 365-6 from 45 overs (Anthony Bramble 106, Jonathan Foo 71, Shimron Hetmyer 58, Romario Shepherd 40, Rampertab Ramnauth 36; Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed 3-66) vs Demerara 174 all out from 29.3 overs (Leon Johnson 51, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 39, Akshaya Persaud 37; Veerasammy Permaul 3-30, Kevin Sinclair 3-42, Gudakesh Motie 2-32)

Meanwhile at Everest, a century from Kemol Savory and 92 not out from Kevon Boodie helped Essequibo secured an eight-wicket victory over the GCB President’s XI.

The President’s XI batted first and recovered well from being 90-5 to post 237-8, thanks to some lower-order batting from Shamar Joseph and Kwesi Mickle.

Joseph made a top-score of 67 not out off 47 balls including seven fours and three sixes while Mickle played second fiddle with 40 off 86 (1×4, 2x6s). Suresh Dhanai chipped in with 30 off 26 (4x4s, 1×6) and opener Matthew Nandu made 27 off 34 (3x4s).

Bowling for Essequibo, left-arm spinner Anthony Adams was excellent with figures 3-14 off 10 overs, including 52 dot balls, while Ricardo Adams took 2-40 off 10.

The good recovery by the President’s XI when they batted meant Essequibo had a larger target than they initially anticipated, but any nerves were quelled by Savory and Boodie's crucial second-wicket partnership.

After the early loss of Nathan Persaud for 11, Savory and Boodie dominated the President’s XI bowling attack in a partnership of 163.

Boodie, the aggressor, smashed 11 fours and two sixes from his 102 deliveries.

Once he departed, Savory took centre stage, coasting to a magnificent hundred and sealing the victory.

His unbeaten 108 spanned 106 balls and included eight fours and three sixes. Keyron Fraser and Akini Adams were the wicket-takers for the President’s XI.

Summary: GCB President’s XI 237-8 from 50 overs (Shamar Joseph 67*, Kwesi Mickle 40, Suresh Dhanai 38, Matthew Nandu 27; Anthony Adams 3-14, Ricardo Adams 2-40) vs Essequibo 240-2 from 41.3 overs (Kemol Savory 108*, Kevon Boodie 92, Keyron Fraser 1-19, Akini Adams 1-40)

The second round of the competition will take place on Wednesday with Berbice playing Essequibo at the GCC ground, Bourda, and Demerara up against the President’s XI at Everest.