Coolidge Cricket Ground

Barbados last won the title in the 2016/17 season and Holder believes that with a shortened season before them, they need to be ready to win consistently.

“We are really looking forward to the first tournament of the year. It’s great to be back and there is a lot of excitement in our camp. We are focused on winning,” Holder said.

“It will be important to hold our nerve under pressure and execute under pressure. The team that is most consistent always wins, and we have to look at being consistent and win for our country and our fans.”

Meanwhile, Red Force Captain Kieron Pollard believes his team is blessed with a good blend of youth and experience to advance to the finals and eventually win it all.

“I believe we have a very good team in terms of youth and experience and we can go that step further and make it to the finals,” he said.

“In the last few years, we missed out, reaching the semi-finals and being beaten, once by CCC and once by Leewards. Hopefully, we have all the energy and all the gas in the tank and go all the way. This promises to be a really good tournament, and I know players will be aiming to impress and improve their careers.”

Both captains are among several West Indies stars set to participate in this year’s tournament.

In addition to Holder and Pollard, players such as Roston Chase (Barbados Pride), Shimron Hetmyer (Guyana Jaguars), Sheldon Cottrell (Jamaica Scorpions), Hayden Walsh Jr (Leeward Islands Hurricanes), Nicholas Pooran (Trinidad and Tobago Red Force) and Andre Fletcher (Windward Islands Volcanoes) have signalled their participation in the tournament.

Whilst COVID-19 related constraints mean that 2019-2020 Champions, the West Indies Emerging Players, are unable to defend their title, eight of those talented young winners from the 2019 tournament have found spots in the competing franchise teams, including Keon Harding, Dominic Drakes and Justin Greaves (Barbados Pride), Kevin Sinclair (Guyana Jaguars), Ashmead Nedd (Leeward Islands Hurricanes), Jayden Seales (Trinidad and Tobago Red Force) as well as, Kimani Melius and Roland Cato (Windward Islands Volcanoes).

Full squads:

Barbados Pride: Jason Holder (Captain), Joshua Bishop, Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Jonathan Drakes, Justin Greaves, Keon Harding, Chemar Holder, Akeem Jordan, Nicholas Kirton, Zachary McCaskie, Ashley Nurse, Tevyn Walcott; Dexter Toppin (Head Coach)

Guyana Jaguars: Leon Johnson (Captain), Shimron Hetmyer (Vice-Captain), Christopher Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Asad Fudadin, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Tevin Imlach, Keon Joseph, Ramaal Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Akshaya Persaud, Kemol Savory, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith; Esuan Crandon (Head Coach)

Jamaica Scorpions: Rovman Powell (Captain), Derval Green (Vice-Captain), Fabian Allen, Dennis Bulli, Sheldon Cottrell, Javel Glenn, Brandon King, Andre McCarthy, Jamie Merchant, Romaine Morris, Paul Palmer, Jeavor Royal, Odean Smith, Aldaine Thomas, Oshane Thomas; Andre Coley (Head Coach)

Leeward Islands Hurricanes: Devon Thomas (captain), Montcin Hodge (Vice-Captain), Colin Archibald, Sheno Berridge, Quinton Boatswain, Keacy Carty, Nino Henry, Amir Jangoo, Nitish Kumar, Jeremiah Louis, Ashmead Nedd, Kieran Powell, Ross Powell, Hayden Walsh Jr, Terance Warde; Stuart Williams (Head Coach)

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force: Kieron Pollard (Captain), Darren Bravo (Vice-Captain), Akeal Hosein, Imran Khan, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kjorn Ottley, Khary Pierre, Nicholas Pooran, Anderson Phillip, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Jayden Seales, Lendl Simmons; David Furlonge (Head Coach)

Windward Islands Volcanoes: Sunil Ambris (Captain), Andre Fletcher (Vice-Captain), Alick Athanaze, Roland Cato, Keron Cottoy, Kenneth Dember, Larry Edward, Ryan John, Ray Jordan, Desron Maloney, Obed McCoy, Preston McSween, Kimani Melius, Emmanuel Stewart, Kevin Stoute; Andrew Richardson (Head Coach)

Allen took figures of 1-13 as the West Indies restricted Sri Lanka to 131 for 4 despite an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 85 between Dinesh Chandimal, who made 54 and Ashan Bandara who was unbeaten on 44.

Allen, who was also outstanding in the field, taking a blinder off his own bowling and saved several runs fielding in the outfield, then, with the West Indies needing 20 runs from the last two overs, smashed three sixes in the penultimate over of the match to propel the West Indies to victory.

"I prepare for everything, including bowling in the Powerplay. I just backed myself and executed,” Allen said afterwards. The pitch is very slow, so I just needed to execute my plans.”

He said he backed his team to win despite their struggles against the Sri Lankan spinners, who once again, troubled the West Indies batsman getting five of the seven West Indies wickets to fall.

However, admitting his own struggles, he revealed the plan concocted between Jason Holder and himself that helped the West Indies over the line. Like the other batsmen before him, Allen had trouble reading Hasaranga de Silva’s spin, especially the googly that he uses quite liberally.

Recognizing that weakness, he hatched a plot with the West Indies Test captain.

“I told Jason Holder that I'm not comfortable batting against Hasaranga, so I told him to bat him out and I'll be finishing. I just backed myself in the end. It was a good performance overall."

Not only did Holder bat out the over, but he also took advantage of a rare no-ball from the Sri Lanka spinner, smashing his ‘free-hit’ delivery for six which reduced the West Indies’ task of 27 from 18 balls, to 20 from 12.

In the next over bowled by Akila Dananjaya, Allen took care of the rest.

After winning the toss and batting first on a batting-friendly pitch, the Indians made good use of their opportunity to post 290-5 off their 50 overs.

Captain Yash Dhull was the star with a stroke-filled 110 off 110 balls with 10 fours and a six while Shaik Rasheed supported his skipper well with a well-made 94 off 108 balls with eight fours and a six.

Australia’s bowling unit didn’t have much success with Jack Nisbet and William Salzmann being the only wicket-takers with 2-41 from nine overs and 2-57 from 10 overs, respectively.

Lachlan Shaw was Australia’s main run-scorer in a futile chase with 51 while Corey Miller got 38.

Campbell Kellaway was the only other Australian batsman to get to 30 as the Aussies were routed for 194 in just 41.2 overs.

Vicky Ostwal was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3-42 from his 10 overs while Nishant Sandhi and Ravi Kumar took two wickets each.

The final between India and England will take place at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday while Afghanistan and Australia will contest the 3^rd place playoff on Friday at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.

India are four-time winners of the event (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018) while England’s only title came in 1998.

Campbell, who is hoping to retain his place in the West Indies team for the Test series against Sri Lanka later this month, scored 129 from 253 balls from which he hit 15 fours and three sixes in his more than five-hour stay at the crease.

He partnered with Captain Roston Chase to put on a fourth-wicket stand of 183 after Jayden Seales and Preston McSween had combined to reduce the side to 53-3. Seales accounted for the wickets of Shayne Moseley for three and Sunil Ambris for a duck to have Chase XI in trouble early at 12 for 2.

Campbell and Nkrumah Bonner then put on 41 for the third wicket before McSween dismissed the latter for 16.

Campbell and Chase took the score to 236 when Chase fell to Kavem Hodge for 75. He struck 10 fours in the innings that lasted for 208 minutes during which he faced 159 deliveries. Campbell eventually fell to the bowling of Rahkeem Cornwall after he and Jermaine Blackwood had put on 16 for the sixth wicket.

Blackwood, meantime, remained unbeaten on 18 at the close. Imran Khan is with him on three.

Seales, who also dismissed Raymon Reifer for 2, was the best of the bowlers taking 3-42 while McSween, who claimed the wickets of Bonner and Jahmar Hamilton returned figures of 2-40.

Man-of-the-Match Carty, who was a member of the West Indies team which won the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2016, recording his maiden List A century, an unbeaten 123 that included nine fours and three sixes on a good pitch at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.

However, it was Walsh that turned the match when in the final stages, with an asking rate of close to 14 runs per over, the left-handed Walsh smashed three massive sixes of a Chemar Holder over to score 28 off just nine balls which kept the chase alive.

Twenty-six runs came from the over that helped put Leewards on the path to victory while chasing 302.

 In the high-scoring contest, Barbados Pride made 301-8, Leewards Islands Hurricanes replied with 305-6 as they reached the target with three balls to spare and picked up their first points of the tournament.

“I just kept going because I kept the team goals in mind. I knew I had to stay there for the team and bat to the end,” Carty said afterwards.

“It was a really good knock, but the others around me also played well and overall it was a great win for the team. I will look to do a similar kind of job in the next match and the others to come. We are confident and this win will give is a big boost.”

Earlier, Shamarh Brooks top-scored with 96 off 88 balls while left-hander Jonathan Carter made 58 off 91 balls. The pair added a record 160 for the third wicket for the Pride.

Fast bowler Quinton Boatswain, who claimed two wickets off successive deliveries in the 48th over, finished with 4-52 — his second four-for in as many matches — while leg-spinner Walsh claimed 3-75.

 Jamaica Scorpions will take on the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Thursday starting at 9 am (8 am Jamaica).

Captain and wicket-keeper Jahmar Hamilton top-scored with 54 as the Hurricanes were bowled out for 207 in 48.5 overs after winning the toss and batting first.

The Leewards also got contributions from Terrence Ward (32) and Jeremiah Louis (31) as Dennis Bulli continued his excellent wicket-taking form with 3-46 from his 10 overs. Sheldon Cottrell, Peat Salmon and Nicholson Gordon took two wickets each for the Scorpions.

The Scorpions successful chase was then led by a 102-run opening partnership between King and Chadwick Walton who made 41. Captain Rovman Powell also made 27 not out as the Scorpions reached 182-6 from 36.5 overs. Jamaica’s target was adjusted to 179 off 40 overs after a rain delay during their reply. Left-arm spinner Daniel Doram took 2-16 off eight overs while left-arm quick Colin Archibald took 2-30 from the same amount.

The Leeward Islands still lead Zone B with 14 points from five games while the Scorpions now have 12, six more than the Barbados Pride and 10 more then the West Indies Academy. The Scorpions can book a place in the semi-finals with a win over the West Indies Academy on Monday.

Chasing Weekes XI’s 401 all out, McKenzie and Keagan Simmons put on 27 in their opening stand before the latter was bowled by Jair McAllister for seven. The bowler would later dismiss Ackeem Auguste in similar fashion for 21 as West Indies Academy slipped to 57-2.

However, McKenzie and Kevlon Anderson, who scored 153 for West Indies Academy in the seven-wicket victory over Headley XI last week, added 30 without further loss when play ended. McKenzie has so far struck eight fours in his even 50 while Anderson is not out on seven.

McAllister has so far taken 2-21.

Earlier, Weekes XI resuming from their overnight score of 365-7 with Kevin Sinclair on 52 and Veerasammy Permaul on nought, lost Permaul for duck to make it 365-8. Realizing he was running out of partners, Sinclair attacked the bowling smashing 11 fours and three sixes in his score of 86 before he was bowled by Ramon Simmonds.

Simmonds bowled McAllister for a duck next ball to wrap up the innings leaving Nail Smith not out on two.

Stoute scored 86 and Ambris 70 and their third-wicket partnership of 119 laid the foundation for the Windwards’ 284 all out off 49.2 overs.

They came together after Kimani Melius and Desron Maloney were already back in the pavilion midway the eighth over with 40 runs on the board.

When Ambris departed for 70 that included eight fours and a six, Stoute and Emmanuel Stewart put on 68 for the fourth wicket when Stoute got out in the 42^nd over. Stewart was out five balls later but Roland Cato (11) and Rayon John (15) helped push the final score to 284.

Bowling for the Leewards Quinton Boatswain took 4 -45 from his 10 overs while Sheeno Berridge 3-65 and Hayden Walsh 3-79 provided support.

Chasing 285, the Leewards were dismissed for 253 in 49.3 overs despite Kumar’s 112 from 106 balls that included nine fours and two sixes.

He put on 43 for the third wicket with Ross Powell, who made 46 and 79 for the fifth wicket with Montcin Hodge who made 28 but there were never enough partnerships to take Leewards to the target as Preston McSween, Larry Edward, Ray Jordan and Kerron Cottoy each took two wickets to stymie the run chase.

On Monday, the Guyana Jaguars will face the Barbados Pride at the same venue.

The Hurricanes started the day on 163-6 with Cornwall on 29 and Jeremiah Louis on 17. Cornwall failed to add to his overnight score when he was dismissed by Abhijai Mansingh in the second over of the day.

Louis then continued on, providing some much-needed stability to the innings, eventually bringing up his fourth first class fifty off 140 balls.

Forced to bat with the tail, Louis became more aggressive, making his next 28 runs off just 31 balls to finish not out on 78, his highest score in first class cricket.

Hayden Walsh Jr (13) and Collin Archibald (17) also formed important partnerships with Louis down the stretch as the Hurricanes were eventually bowled out for 260 in 118-3 overs.

Marquino Mindley, who recently made his Test debut against Australia, led the way with the ball for the Scorpions with 3-29 from 19.3 overs while Mansingh took 3-47 from 20 overs.

In reply, Scorpions openers Leroy Lugg and Kirk McKenzie saw off the new ball well, reaching 60 in the 14^th over before McKenzie became Colin Archibald’s first victim for 18.

Aggressive from the outset, Lugg brought up his second first class fifty off just 39 balls in the 15^th over with a huge six off Rakheem Cornwall.

One wicket became two very quickly as Archibald removed Jamaica’s number three Romaine Morris for two in the 18^th over.

Jamaica lost their third wicket when Cornwall trapped Aldane Thomas in front for four in the 23^rd over, bringing Captain Paul Palmer Jr to the crease.

At tea, the Scorpions were 97-3 from 23 overs with Lugg on 73 and Palmer Jr yet to score.

After the resumption, Lugg was able to add only six runs to his total before Hayden Walsh Jr tempted him into a false shot and got his wicket.

Palmer Jr and new batsman Mansingh then added 72 runs for the fifth wicket before the skipper became Cornwall’s second victim, falling for 47 in the 57^th over. Cornwall got his second wicket of the over when he bowled Jamie Merchant for a duck to leave the Scorpions 185-6.

The Jamaicans added just one more run before stumps, ending the day on 186-6, trailing the Hurricanes by 74 runs. Mansingh ended the day on 34 while Gordon Bryan is yet to get off the mark.

Scores: Leeward Islands Hurricanes 260 off 118.3 overs (Jeremiah Louis 78*, Jahmar Hamiton 40, Marquino Mindley 3-29, Abhijai Mansingh 3-47) Jamaica Scorpions 186-6 off 60 overs (Leroy Lugg 79, Paul Palmer Jr 47, Abhijai Mansingh 34*, Rakheem Cornwall 3-47, Colin Archibald 2-37).

The Scorpions, who began day two 173-6, were eventually bowled out for 221 off 68.2 overs.

Carlos Brown added 12 runs to his overnight 68 before becoming one of Rakheem Cornwall’s three wickets.

Brown’s knock came off 178 balls and included 12 fours.

Jeremiah Louis took 3-34 from his 11 overs while Cornwall took 3-69 from his 22 overs.

Collin Archibald and Daniel Doram also took a pair of wickets, each.

The Hurricanes then replied with 213 all out off 58.3 overs thanks to 62 from Justin Greaves and 53 from Keacy Carty.

Greaves faced 113 deliveries and hit two fours and two sixes while Carty hit eight boundaries in his 80-ball knock.

Peat Salmon starred with the ball for the hosts with 5-50 from 23 overs while Ramaal Lewis took 4-80 from 17.3 overs.

Batting a second time, the Scorpions struggled to 59-4 at stumps, a lead of just 49 runs.

Kirk McKenzie (24*) and Peat Salmon (2*) are the batsmen at the crease.

Jeremiah Louis has taken 2-11 from six overs so far.

Full Scores: Jamaica Scorpions 221 all out off 68.2 overs (Carlos Brown 80, Romaine Morris 42, Jeremiah Louis 3-34, Rakheem Cornwall 3-69, Collin Archibald 2-23, Daniel Doram 2-27) & 59-4 off 18 overs (Kirk McKenzie 24*, Brandon King 19, Jeremiah Louis 2-11)

Leeward Islands Hurricanes 231 all out off 58.3 overs (Justin Greaves 62, Keacy Carty 53, Kieran Powell 41, Jewel Andrew 32, Peat Salmon 5-50, Ramaal Lewis 4-80)

At Coolidge, leaders Windward Islands Volcanoes trail the Guyana Harpy Eagles by 363 runs at stumps on day two.

Full Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 308 off 80.5 overs (Kevin Sinclair 74, Kevlon Anderson 48, Gudakesh Motie 46, Veerasammy Permaul 30, Darel Cyrus 5-67) & 168-1 off 57 overs (Tevin Imlach 88*, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 78*)

Windward Islands Volcanoes 113 all out off 31.5 overs(Tevyn Walcott 41, Isai Thorne 4-38, Ronaldo Alimohamed 3-30, Gudakesh Motie 2-12)

At the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force trail the Barbados Pride by seven runs at stumps on day two.

Full Scores: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 172 off 53.5 overs (Amir Jangoo 93*, Jason Holder 4-47, Chemar Holder 3-28, Shaquille Cumberbatch 3-50) & 100-3 off 36 overs (Kjorn Ottley 39, Amir Jangoo 30*, Jomel Warrican 2-19)

Barbados Pride 279 all out off 87.3 overs (Jonathan Drakes 72, Zachary McCaskie 46, Shane Dowrich 40, Jason Holder 34, Kevin Wickham 34, Kraigg Brathwaite 30, Khary Pierre 3-54, Jayden Seales 2-33, Bryan Charles 2-57)

At the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, Combined Campuses and Colleges trail West Indies Academy by 113 runs at stumps on day two.

Full Scores: West Indies Academy 300 all out off 78.3 overs (Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 76*, Johan Layne 63, Joshua Dorne 36, Joshua Bishop 32, Yannic Ottley 5-47, Jediah Blades 3-59) & 44-1 off 11.5 overs (Kadeem Alleyne 32)

Combined Campuses and Colleges 231 all out off 80.2 overs(Demario Richards 59, Zishan Motara 56, Ashmead Nedd 4-51, Joshua Bishop 2-44, Johan Layne 2-60).

Batting first after losing the toss, the hosts were able to amass 269 all out from 78.4 overs on Wednesday.

Morris, who got a half century in round one against the Windward Islands Volcanoes, came in with the Jamaicans in a spot of bother at 113-5 in the 40^th over and batted beautifully to finish 97* off 126 balls including 10 fours and three sixes.

Earlier, opener Carlos brown continued his good form over the last two matches with 40 off 105 balls including seven fours while Kirk McKenzie got his first significant score of the season, also making 40 with his coming off 79 balls and including five fours.

Jomel Warrican finished with 5-62 off 27.4 overs while Jair McAllister took 3-69 off 15 overs.

At stumps, Barbados were 15-0 off seven overs with Zachary McCaskie on 13 and Kraigg Brathwaite on one.

Full Scores: Jamaica Scorpions 269 all out off 78.4 overs (Romaine Morris 97*, Carlos Brown 40, Kirk McKenzie 40, Jomel Warrican 5-62, Jair McAllister 3-69)

Barbados Pride 15-0 off seven overs.

Other Scores:

At Warner Park in St. Kitts

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 137 all out off 60.2 overs (Jyd Goolie 30, Collin Archibald 3-28, Jeremiah Louis 3-38, Rakheem Cornwall 2-5, Daniel Doram 2-32)

Leeward Islands Hurricanes 105-1 off 29 overs (Kieran Powell 54*, Mikyle Louis 32)

At Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua

Guyana Harpy Eagles 175 all out off 54.3 overs (Ronaldo Ali Mohamed 30, Matthew Nandu 28, Joshua James 4-43, Johann Layne 2-27, Joshua Bishop 2-31)

West Indies Academy 96-4 off 26 overs (Rashawn Worrell 34, Joshua Bishop 33*, Kevin Sinclair 4-32)

At Chedwin Park in Jamaica

Combined Campuses & Colleges 204 all out off 71.3 overs (Demario Richards 46, Damel Evelyn 43, Darel Cyrus 6-72, Gilon Tyson 3-32)

Windward Islands Volcanoes 0-0 off 0.4 overs

After a long rain delay, the defending champions Barbados began day two 89-2, replying to the Scorpions 140 all out, with Moseley on 41 and Shamarh Brooks on 16.

Brooks failed to add to his 16 before he was trapped in front by Marquino Mindley in the second over of the day with the score on 92.

His wicket brought debutant Kevin Wickham to the crease but he managed just two from seven balls before Mindley bowled him two overs later to leave the Pride 94-4.

Captain Shane Dowrich joined Moseley at the crease and, shortly after, Moseley brought up his 13^th First-class fifty off 103 balls in the 37^th over.

Dowrich and Moseley provided some much-needed stability to the innings, engaging in a 74-run fifth wicket partnership before Moseley fell off the bowling of Abhijai Mansingh for a well-made 82 in the 53^rd over. Moseley’s knock lasted 149 balls and included 12 fours.

Three balls later, Mansingh got his second wicket, removing Shamar Springer for a duck to leave the Pride 168-6.

Dowrich and Akeem Jordan then put on 35 for the seventh wicket before Jordan was bowled by Patrick Harty for 13.

Chaim Holder, Camarie Boyce and Jair McAllister then all fell swiftly without troubling the scorers as the Pride were bowled out for 215 in 69.5 overs. Dowrich finished not out on 64 off 114 balls.

Patrick Harty ended with 4-23 off 12.5 overs while Marquino Mindley and Abhijai Mansingh took two wickets apiece for the Scorpions.

At stumps, the Jamaicans were 6-0 after four overs in their second innings, trailing the Pride by 69 runs.

Scores: Jamaica Scorpions 140 off 54.5 overs (Jamie Merchant 35, Tevin Gilzene 32, Abhijai Mansingh 27, Shamar Springer 3-11, Camarie Boyce 3-26, Akeem Jordan 3-48) and 6-0 off 4 overs.

Barbados Pride 215 off 69.5 overs (Shayne Moseley 82, Shane Dowrich 64*, Patrick Harty 4-23, Marquino Mindley 2-25, Abhijai Mansingh 2-30).

Chasing a modest total of 132, the West Indies, who took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, started strong as Evin Lewis hit three sixes off the first over bowled by Angelo Matthews that yielded 19 runs.

However, in the fourth over with the home side sailing merrily along at 52 without loss, the match evolved into an even more entertaining spectacle.

Lendl Simmons had hit a six and a four off from the first two balls of the third over bowled by Dushmantha Chameera that yielded 14 runs. At the end of the over West Indies were 48-0 but it was the start of the most bizarre period of play in the match.

It all began with Lewis hitting Akila Dananjaya’s first ball of the fourth over for four as the West Indies raced to 52-0.

Lewis was caught in the deep for 28 off Dananjaya’s second ball, Gayle was trapped lbw first ball before Nicholas Pooran’s wicket completed the hat-trick caught behind off a thin edge. In three balls the West Indies had slipped from 52-0 to 52-3.

Lendl Simmons hit a six and a four before Hasangara de Silva trapped him lbw for 26. The West Indies were then 62 for 4.

There was another dramatic twist in over number six, Dananjaya’s third.

With Captain Kieron Pollard and Jason Holder at the crease and the West Indies still needing 70 runs, Pollard went on the offensive hitting the spinner for six consecutive sixes rushing to 38 from 10 balls.

The match would swing again in the seventh when Hasangara trapped Pollard lbw for 38 and then Fabian Allen for a duck with consecutive balls as both players failed to read the spinner.

Dwayne Bravo, who was unbeaten on four at the end, survived the hat-trick ball and together with Holder, who was 29 not out, produced an unbroken stand of 31 after Holder drove Pradeep for six over long-on to seal the victory.

Hasangara ended with 3-12. Dananjaya’s figures that read 3-17 after two overs ended with 3-62.

Pollard had won the toss and put Sri Lanka into bat. The visitors lost their first wicket at 20 when Pollard diving to his right pulled off a spectacular catch at short midwicket to dismiss Danushka Gunathilaka for four and hand debutant Kevin Sinclair his first international wicket.

Niroshan Dickwella (33) and Pathum Nissanka (39) put on 51 for the second wicket but there were no other noteworthy partnerships for the Sri Lankans who crawled to 132 for 9 from their allotment of 20 overs.

Obed McCoy was the best of the West Indies bowlers with 2-25 and there was a wicket each for Jason Holder, Allen, Sinclair, Dwayne Bravo and Fidel Edwards, who bowled tight lines and lengths, hardly giving anything away to the Sri Lankan batsmen.

At the Queen’s Park Oval, the Red Force started day three 100-3 off 36 overs, trailing the Pride by seven runs.

They suffered a massive collapse early in the day’s proceedings, losing their final seven wickets for just 24 runs in 18.5 overs leaving the Pride needing only 18 for victory.

Jomel Warrican did the bulk of the damage for the Pride with 6-31 from 17 overs while Jason Holder ended with 4-23 off 12.1 overs.

The Pride then reached 20-2 off 7.1 overs to secure the win.

Full Scores: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 172 off 53.5 overs (Amir Jangoo 93*, Jason Holder 4-47, Chemar Holder 3-28, Shaquille Cumberbatch 3-50) & 124 all out off 53.5 overs (Kjorn Ottley 39, Amir Jangoo 305, Jomel Warrican 6-31, Jason Holder 4-23)

Barbados Pride 279 all out off 87.3 overs (Jonathan Drakes 72, Zachary McCaskie 46, Shane Dowrich 40, Jason Holder 34, Kevin Wickham 34, Kraigg Brathwaite 30, Khary Pierre 3-54, Jayden Seales 2-33, Bryan Charles 2-57) & 20-2 off 7.1 overs (Jonathan Drakes 14*, Khary Pierre 2-10).

At Coolidge, the Harpy Eagles started day three in a dominant position, 168-1 off 57 overs leading the Volcanoes by 363 runs.

They eventually reached 224-2 before declaring and leaving the Volcanoes needing 419 to win.

Tevin Imlach and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who entered the day on 88* and 78*, respectively, both brought up well played hundreds.

Imlach eventually made 107 off 243 balls including nine fours while Chanderpaul ended unbeaten on 101* off 248 balls.

The Windwards were then bowled out for 165 in 56.2 overs. Shamar Springer led the way with 69 while Ryan John hit 41 as Nial Smith and Veerasammy Permaul each took five-wicket hauls to sink them.

Smith took 5-29 from 11 overs while Permaul ended with 5-47 off 24.2 overs.

Full Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 308 off 80.5 overs (Kevin Sinclair 74, Kevlon Anderson 48, Gudakesh Motie 46, Veerasammy Permaul 30, Darel Cyrus 5-67) & 224-2 off 87 overs (Tevin Imlach 107, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 101*)

Windward Islands Volcanoes 113 all out off 31.5 overs(Tevyn Walcott 41, Isai Thorne 4-38, Ronaldo Alimohamed 3-30, Gudakesh Motie 2-12) & 165 all out off 56.2 overs (Shamar Springer 69, Ryan John 41, Nial Smith 5-29, Veerasammy Permaul 5-47)

At Sabina Park, the Leeward Islands reached 145-3 at stumps on day three, needing a further 42 runs for victory on day four.

Full Scores: Jamaica Scorpions 221 all out off 68.2 overs (Carlos Brown 80, Romaine Morris 42, Jeremiah Louis 3-34, Rakheem Cornwall 3-69, Collin Archibald 2-23, Daniel Doram 2-27) & 196 all out off 62.3 overs (Abhijai Mansingh 52, Kirk McKenzie 33, Ramaal Lewis 30, Jeremiah Louis 3-24, Rakheem Cornwall 3-56, Oshane Thomas 2-48)

Leeward Islands Hurricanes 231 all out off 58.3 overs (Justin Greaves 62, Keacy Carty 53, Kieran Powell 41, Jewel Andrew 32, Peat Salmon 5-50, Ramaal Lewis 4-80) & 145-3 (Justin Greaves 62*, Mikyle Louis 57, Peat Salmon 2-54)

At the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, the Combined Campuses & Colleges were 72-0 off 13 overs at stumps on day three, needing a further 314 runs for victory.

Full Scores: West Indies Academy 300 all out off 78.3 overs (Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 76*, Johan Layne 63, Joshua Dorne 36, Joshua Bishop 32, Yannic Ottley 5-47, Jediah Blades 3-59) & 316-7 dec. off 87 overs (Teddy Bishop 114, Joshua James 58, Kadeem Alleyne 32, Romario Greaves 3-76, Yannic Ottley 2-48, Jediah Blades 2-64)

Combined Campuses and Colleges 231 all out off 80.2 overs(Demario Richards 59, Zishan Motara 56, Ashmead Nedd 4-51, Joshua Bishop 2-44, Johan Layne 2-60) & 72-0 off 13 overs (Kamil Pooran 49*).

First at Sabina Park where the Pride had the Jamaica Scorpions reeling in their second innings at 220-8 off 63 overs at stumps, a lead of just 100 runs.

The Pride had earlier amassed 389 all out off 120 overs after starting the day 315-6. Kraigg Brathwaite, who entered Friday 129* wound up making 142 while Shane Dowrich finished with 44 after entering the day 19*.

Derval Green ended up with 4-78 off 31 overs while Peat Salmon picked up 3-94 from 34 overs for the hosts.

Jamaica’s second innings saw a number of batsmen get off to good starts but none were able to get a big score. Abhijai Mansingh has led the way with 54, his fourth first-class fifty, while Leroy Lugg (43), Kirk McKenzie (39) and Carlos Brown (35) also chipped in.

Debutant Shaquille Cumberbatch has led the charge with the ball for the Pride with 4-22 off nine overs while Kevin Wickham has picked up 2-26 from seven overs.

Full Scores: Jamaica Scorpions269 all out off 78.4 overs (Romaine Morris 97*, Carlos Brown 40, Kirk McKenzie 40, Jomel Warrican 5-62, Jair McAllister 3-69) & 220-8 off 63 overs (Abhijai Mansingh 54, Leroy Lugg 43, Kirk McKenzie 39, Carlos Brown 35, Shaquille Cumberbatch 4-22, Kevin Wickham 2-26)

Barbados Pride 389 all out off 120 overs(Kraigg Brathwaite 142, Kevin Wickham 63, Shane Dowrich 44, Jonathan Drakes 31, Derval Green 4-78, Peat Salmon 3-94)

Elsewhere in Jamaica, at Chedwin Park in St. Catherine to be exact, the Combined Campuses and Colleges ended day three 271-6 in their second innings, leading the Windward Islands Volcanoes by just 80 runs.

The Windwards, after entering Friday 359-8 off 100 overs, went on to post an imposing 395 all out off 105.4 overs in their first innings.

Kavem Hodge, who entered the day 131*, carried his bat through the innings on his way to a career best 158* off 251 balls including 16 fours and a six.

Romario Greaves ended up with 5-142 off 38 overs for the CCC.

With the bat, Jonathan Carter almost got his second century of the season, being dismissed for 94 to lead the CCC second innings scoring, so far.

Greaves, who is having a fine all-round showing, ended day three on 62* off 117 balls including five fours and two sixes.

Earlier, opener Damel Evelyn followed up his 43 in the first innings with 56 in the second.

Shamar Springer has taken 2-33 in 13 overs for the Volcanoes.

Full Scores:Combined Campuses & Colleges 204 all out off 71.3 overs (Demario Richards 46, Damel Evelyn 43, Darel Cyrus 6-72, Gilon Tyson 3-32) & 271-6 off 81 overs (Jonathan Carter 94, Romario Greaves 62*, Damel Evelyn 56, Shamar Springer 2-33)

Windward Islands Volcanoes 395 all out off 105.4 overs(Kavem Hodge 158*, Sunil Ambris 120, Romario Greaves 5-142, Jediah Blades 2-35, Govasta Edmond 2-54)

Moving to the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua where the defending champions, Guyana Harpy Eagles, are on the brink of a dominant victory over the West Indies Academy.

The Harpy Eagles entered Friday 165-5 off 65 overs, leading the Academy by 178 runs. They went on to pile up a massive 415-7 declared leaving the Academy needing a massive 429 to win.

Kevin Sinclair, the hero with the ball in the first innings, led the way with a magnificent 165* off 182 balls, his first century in first-class cricket, including 26 fours. Kemol Savory also batted well for a 68-ball 58 including eight fours and a six.

Ronaldo Ali Mohamed and Veerasammy Permaul also provided useful cameos at the end of the innings with 318 and 29*, respectively.

Ashmead Nedd was the pick of the bowlers for the Academy with 5-97 off 45 overs.

At stumps, the Academy reached 161-7 off 40 overs, needing a further 268 runs for victory on Saturday.

West Indies Under-19 representative Jordan Johnson led the way with 54 against 3-32 off eight overs from Isai Thorne, who also represented the West Indies at the recently concluded ICC U-19 World Cup in South Africa. Sinclair has also picked up 2-30 from 11 overs in the second innings.

Full Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 175 all out off 54.3 overs (Ronaldo Ali Mohamed 30, Matthew Nandu 28, Joshua James 4-43, Johann Layne 2-27, Joshua Bishop 2-31) & 415-7 dec. off 112.1 overs (Kevin Sinclair 165*, Kemol Savory 58, Kevlon Anderson 49, Ashmead Nedd 5-97)

West Indies Academy 162 all out off 49 overs (Rashawn Worrell 58, Joshua Bishop 51, Kevin Sinclair 4-45, Veerasammy Permaul 3-15, Gudakesh Motie 3-31) & 161-7 off 40 overs (Jordan Johnson 54, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 34, Isai Thorne 3-32, Kevin Sinclair 2-30)

Finally, we go to Warner Park in St. Kitts where the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force were 285-6 at stumps on day three, leading the Leeward Islands Hurricanes by 104 runs.

The Red Force entered the day 48-0 off 18 overs replying to the Hurricanes first innings total of 318.

Jyd Goolie continued his good form with the bat this season with 64 to lead the Red Force charge so far.

Jason Mohammed (49), Tion Webster (38), Cephas Cooper (36), Terrance Hinds (34) and Captain Joshua Da Silva (32) all got starts but weren’t able to carry on to a big score.

Rakheem Cornwall has led the Hurricanes bowling do far with 3-56 off 29 overs while Jeremiah Louis has picked up 2-70 from 18 overs.

Full Scores: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 137 all out off 60.2 overs (Jyd Goolie 30, Collin Archibald 3-28, Jeremiah Louis 3-38, Rakheem Cornwall 2-5, Daniel Doram 2-32) & 285-6 off 108 overs (Jyd Goolie 64, Jason Mohammed 49, Tion Webster 38, Cephas Cooper 36, Terrance Hinds 34, Joshua Da Silva 32, Rakheem Cornwall 3-56)

Leeward Islands Hurricanes 318 all out off 98.2 overs (Jewel Andrew 87, Kieran Powell 65, Jeremiah Louis 41, Mikyle Louis 32, Anderson Phillip 4-62, Brian Charles 3-81)

The Red Force bowled out the home side for 129 and then motored to 130-1 off 24.5 overs. It was their fourth win and earned them a spot in the semi-finals.

Sunil Narine, playing his 100th List A match, was brilliant as he took 3-36 from his 10 overs. One of his wickets came from a perfectly flighted off-break which turned a long way and rattled the stumps of Terrence Warde.

However, fast bowler Ravi Rampaul was named the CG Insurance Man-of-the-Match for his excellent new-ball spell and took 3-17 from seven overs.

The top score for the Hurricanes came from opener Kieran Powell (29), while Hayden WalshJjr chipped in with 26.

The Red Force them reached the target with little bother as Kjorn Ottley and Jason Mohammed shared an unbroken second-wicket partnership of 93. Ottley made 47 not out with six fours and a six over cover, while Mohammed remained unbeaten on 40 off 55 balls with four boundaries.

 Evin Lewis gave the innings a flying start as he smashed two sixes and three fours in 28 off 27 balls, but fell, caught at point off pacer Quinton Boatswain.

Rampaul was quite pleased with his contribution and the outcome.

“I am very happy with the performance of all our bowlers throughout this tournament. I’ve been putting some hard work in the conditions and I reaped the rewards today (Wednesday),” he said at the conclusion of the match.

“It feels great to get the Man-of-the-Match.  It’s always a pleasure to play for my country and I’m really enjoying it. I grew up playing with a lot of my team-mates and it’s been good fun. We believe we can win and we want to win."

Thursday: Windward Islands Volcanoes vs Barbados Pride at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. First ball is 9 am (8 am Jamaica Time).

They had a comfortable six-wicket victory over Guyana Jaguars on Saturday night at Coolidge Cricket Ground in a top-of-the-table clash. Guyana, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat but remain in second place on 12 points from four matches.

Leg-spinner Imran Khan took a career-best five-wicket haul to bowl out Guyana for 187 after they were 106 without loss.

Playing his 50th List A match, Khan ran through the middle-order with a spell of 5-32, as the last nine wickets tumbled for 81 runs. He was named the CG Insurance Man-of-the-Match.

For Guyana, opener Chandrapaul Hemraj played some brilliant strokes as he reached 87 off 83 balls with six sixes, but was one of Khan's victims, as he tried to cut a ball that was too close and was well caught behind by Denesh Ramdin.

Then, under the lights, half-centuries from Jason Mohammed and Darren Bravo ensured Red Force finished the job as they reached 189-4 in the 41st over.

Mohammed scored an unbeaten 82 off 114 balls with eight boundaries. In the process, he reached 2,000 runs in the 50-over format for Trinidad and Tobago.

Left-hander Bravo, who was stand-in captain, also batted well and made 58 from 77 balls – his 36th half-century in the List A format. He hit six fours a six and calmly helped Mohammed add 112 in 23 overs for the third wicket.

“It feels great to get five wickets for my country, my first five-for in this tournament as well. I tried to keep it simple, that’s my style, and it worked for me. To win five out of five is just what we wanted. I know we will be ready for it (semi-finals). I see myself as someone to make a contribution in any way the team requires and always ready when the captain calls on me,” Khan said after the match.

Upcoming matches

Sunday: Barbados Pride vs Jamaica Scorpions at Coolidge Cricket Ground 1:30 pm (12:30 pm Jamaica Time)

Monday: Guyana Jaguars vs Windward Islands Volcanos at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium at 9 am (8 am Jamaica Time).

Then tourists ended day three on 77-3 in their second innings, a lead of 279 runs on the President’s XI. Zak Crawley (34), Alex Lees (10) and Ben Stokes (19) are the batsmen out for England with Shermon Lewis, Bryan Charles and Colin Archibald getting the wickets.

Earlier, the CWI President’s XI resuming from their overnight 48-2, were eventually bowled out for 263 to trail the touring English by 203 runs on first innings.

The bulk of the scoring was done by Barbadian all-rounder Raymon Reifer, who scored a well-compiled 103.

Reifer’s hundred came off 183 balls and included 15 fours and two sixes.

Keacy Carty also added 57 for the President’s XI against 4-62 off 28 overs from left-arm spinner Jack Leach and 2-26 off five overs from the off-spin of Dan Lawrence.

Friday’s day three started with Jamaica batting on 186-6 off 60 overs with Abhijai Mansingh (34) and Gordon Bryan (0) at the crease.

The day did not start well for the Scorpions as Bryan failed to add to his overnight total before being bowled by Rakheem Cornwall, bringing Marquino Mindley to the crease.

Jamaica’s 200 was brought up when Mindley hit Hayden Walsh Jr for a six, shortly before Cornwall completed his 23^rd first-class five wicket haul by dismissing Mindley for 19 in the 71^st over. The Scorpions were 211-8 at that point.

The ninth wicket fell when Sheeno Berridge removed Akim Fraser for five to leave the Scorpions 225-9 in the 81^st over.

The very next over saw Mansingh bring up a well-compiled debut half-century off 171 balls with a boundary off Jeremiah Louis.

The innings eventually came to an end when Mansingh, looking to score quick runs, was dismissed by Berridge for 56 off 176 balls. The Scorpions made 234 in 82.4 overs, trailing the Hurricanes by 26 runs on first innings.

Cornwall was the pick of the Hurricanes bowlers with 5-54 off 28 overs while pacers Sheeno Berridge and Colin Archibald took two wickets each.

With a tricky period to bat before lunch, Hurricanes openers Montcin Hodge and Kieran Powell successfully negotiated the attack from the Jamaican bowlers. They entered the break 12-0 with Powell on eight and Hodge on four.

The post-lunch session saw them continue to bat sensibly, reaching 55 in the 18^th over before Hodge fell to Jamie Merchant for 31.

Merchant was at it again just after the drinks break, this time dismissing Powell 28 with the score on 66 in the 22^nd over.

Keacy Carty and Kofi James provided a 28-run partnership before James went for 18 off the bowling of Akim Fraser.

Captain Jahmar Hamilton then came and went, bowled by Patrick Harty for nine to leave the score at 109-4 after 35 overs.

The Hurricanes added just one run before entering the tea interval at 110-4 with Carty on 19 and Terrance Ward yet to get off the mark.

Shortly after the resumption, Carty became Harty’s second victim for 26 with the score on 119.

Mansingh then got in on the second innings wickets, dismissing Warde for four to leave the Hurricanes 154-6, leading by 180 runs. Mansingh got his second wicket when he dismissed first innings half centurion Jeremiah Louis for six leaving the Leewards 166-7.

That was the end of the wicket-taking for the day as Rakheem Cornwall and Hayden Walsh Jr fought off the Scorpions bowling to reach 198-7 off 65 overs at stumps, leading by 224 runs. Cornwall brought up his half century, his 16^th in first-class cricket, off 56 balls in the 60^th over.

Scores: Leeward Islands Hurricanes 260 off 118.3 overs (Jeremiah Louis 78*, Jahmar Hamiton 40, Marquino Mindley 3-29, Abhijai Mansingh 3-47) and 198-7 off 65 overs (Rakheem Cornwall 56*, Montcin Hodge 31, Jamie Merchant 2-27, Abhijai Mansingh 2-30, Patrick Harty 2-56)

Jamaica Scorpions 234 off 82.4 overs (Leroy Lugg 79, Abhijai Mansingh 56, Paul Palmer Jr 47, Rakheem Cornwall 5-54, Sheeno Berridge 2-25, Colin Archibald 2-37).

After bowling out the Windward Islands Volcanoes for 227, Red Force appeared to be full control at 159-2 in the 30th over after Simmons made an entertaining 102 off 114 balls.

He hit seven fours and five sixes to take the CG Insurance Man-of-the-Match award as Red Force scored 228-6 off 45.3 overs – to win by four wickets with 27 balls to spare.

Simmons reached the milestone of 4,000 List A runs during his innings but fell via the run-out route thanks to some excellent work from substitute Roland Cato. His dismissal triggered a slide which saw four Red Force wickets fall for 22 runs off 40 balls, to leave Red Force on 181-5 the 37th over.

Simmons shared an 81-run opening stand with Evin Lewis (37) and a 78-run second-wicket stand with Nicholas Pooran (17).  Captain Kieron Pollard then hit 31 off 35 balls with three huge sixes but fell close to the end when he was well caught by Cato off left-arm spinner Larry Edward (2-48).

“In the first game I didn’t get a score, so coming into this game I wanted to do something special for the team. It feels good to get a hundred, but I would have liked to see it home,” Simmons said.

“We are playing a good brand of cricket and we now have two wins in our two matches so we want to continue the winning ways."

All-rounder Kerron Cottoy had earlier top-scored with 72 from 75 balls while captain Sunil Ambris stroked 66 from 77 balls to help Volcanoes rally.

Off-spinner Jason Mohammed (3-50) and fast bowler Anderson Phillip (3-63) made inroads in the Volcanoes innings while left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein opened the bowling and ended with 2-25.