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West Indies Championship

Chanderpaul, Imlach score late fifties as Harpy Eagles build 301-run lead over Scorpions

The hosts began the day 268-9 off 86.3 overs.

Harpy Eagles captain Leon Johnson carried on from his overnight 142 to finish 150* as Guyana were bowled out for 278 off 88.1 overs.

Marquino Mindley ended with 3-34 while Ojay Shields and Derval Green both ended with two wickets.

The Scorpions endured a horrendous start to their reply losing half of the team for just 24 runs inside six overs and three balls.

Eventually, they found themselves 64-9 in the 18th over before a39-run 10th wicket partnership between Derval Green and Nicholson Gordon meant they entered the lunch break 103-9 off 27 overs.

The pair added 12 more runs after lunch before Green fell for a top score 42 as the Scorpions were dismissed for 115 in 35.5 overs.

Nial Smith ended with 5-39 while Veerasammy Permaul and Ronsford Beaton took 3-22 and 2-22, respectively.

Mindley then led a Scorpions fightback before tea as he grabbed four quick wickets, including that of Leon Johnson, within the first 12 overs of the Harpy Eagles second innings.

The score at tea was 37-4 with Tagenarine Chanderpaul on 14 and Tevin Imlach yet to get off the mark.

After tea, Chanderpaul and Imlach continued on to leave the Harpy Eagles 138-4 at stumps, a lead of 301 runs with Chanderpaul on 60 and Imlach on 50.

Chanderpaul, Motie tons leave Barbados mountain to climb against Guyana Harpy Eagles

At the close of play, Barbados had already lost two wickets in pursuit of the massive target with captain Kraigg Brathwaite (17) and Sharmarh Brooks (2) already back in the Pavilion.

Earlier, resuming the day at 219 for 4 Chanderpaul, who toiled to 64 on the previous day, pushed on to triple figures and remained unbeaten on 140 off a marathon 434 balls.  Throughout the innings, the batsman was part of several fruitful partnerships.  Tevin Imlac added 53 to feature in a 94-run partnership with Chanderpaul but Motie was even more devastating, adding a dispiriting 110 off 118 deliveries at the bottom of the innings.  Motie was eventually caught by Sharmarh Brooks off the bowling of Keon Harding.  Akeem Jordan was the pick of the Pride bowlers with 3 for 108, while Raymond Reifer took 2 for 37.

Brooks and Shai Hope will be the batsmen to resume the chase for Barbados at the start of the third day.

Chanderpaul, Singh tons sees Harpy Eagles wrest momentum from Scorpions

Resuming the day just four runs short of triple digits Chanderpaul went on to hammer 184, from a marathon 423 deliveries, which largely provided the fuel for the Harpy Eagles’ 584 for 7 at the close of play.  Chanderpaul has, however, also had plenty of help.  In fact, in addition to Chanderpaul, the first five batsmen in the Guyana top order had at least a half century.

Tevin Imlach added 79 from 198, Leon Johnson 57 from 72, Chanderpaul Hemraj 78 from 87, and Singh who remains unbeaten on 100 from 85.  Against the Harpy Eagles batting onslaught, Nicholson Gordon was the Jamaica Scorpions' most successful bowler after claiming figures of 4 for 122.  At the close of play, Guyana held a lead of 191 runs with Singh and Gudakesh Motie, who was on 12 from 15, at the crease.

Charles finishes with 13 wickets in the match as Red Force demolish Scorpions by an innings and 125 runs on day three at Sabina Park

The Scorpions entered Friday 159-9 in their first innings, trailing the Red Force by 273 runs. The final pair of Jeavor Royal and Andrae Dennis further 30 before being bowled out in the 64th over of the innings.

The Red Force then asked the hosts to follow on before dismissing them for 118 in just 44.4 overs to complete a dominant win.

Opener Javaughn Buchanan was the only Scorpions batsman to offer any kind of resistance with a 95-ball 33 as Bryan Charles was, once again, the pick of the Red Force bowling, ripping through the Jamaican batting on his way to figures of 7-43 from 13.4 overs to finish with a match haul of 13-125.

Debutant Navin Bidaisee took 2-20 from six overs in support.

Full Scores: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 432 all out in 122 overs (Joshua Da Silva 106, Terrance Hinds 79, Amir Jangoo 51, Kjorn Ottley 45, Khary Pierre 43, Jeavor Royal 3-113, Ojay Shields 2-61, Peat Salmon 2-83)

Jamaica Scorpions 189 all out in 63.4 overs (Kirk McKenzie 57, Jeavor Royal 46, Bryan Charles 6-82, Khary Pierre 3-57) & 118 all out in 44.4 overs (Javaughn Buchanan 33, Bryan Charles 7-43, Navin Bidaisee 2-20).

Charles spins web around Scorpions as Red Force maintain control; Hurricanes also tighten grip against Volcanoes

Charles snared six wickets for 75 runs in 23.1 overs, including four maidens, as he proved most destructive for the Red Force, who pegged the Scorpions against the ropes at 159-9, after the vistors earlier ended their first innings at a daunting 432.

Jeavor Royal, on 33, and Andrae Dennis, yet to score, will resume batting for the Scorpions, who are 273 runs behind heading into Friday’s third day.

Scores: Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 432 all out (Joshua Da Silva 106, Terrance Hinds 79, Amir Jangoo 51, Kjorn Ottley 45, Khary Pierre 43, Navin Bidaisee 31; Jeavor Royal 3-113, Ojay Shields 2-61, Peat Salmon 2-83).

Jamaica Scorpions 159-9(Kirk McKenzie 57, Jeavor Royal 33 not out; Bryan Charles 6-75, Khary Pierre 2-46).

Earlier, Red Force resuming on 308-7, added another 124 runs to their overnight total, thanks to Terrance Hinds and Khary Pierre, who put together 91 for the eighth wicket. Hinds, added 58 runs to his overnight score of 21, in a just over two-hour 118-ball knock that included seven fours and five sixes.

Pierre, who resumed on one, had two fours and two sixes in his 99-ball 43, as the Red Force lower order built on the momentum left by captain Joshua Da Silva, who initially revived the innings with a well-played century.

Royal was the most successful Scorpions bowler with 3-113 from 37 overs, while pacer Ojay Shields and off-spinner Peat Salmon took two wickets apiece.

If the Scorpions were frustrated by Red Force’s prolonged innings, then their week got a bit worse, as they failed to contend with the skill and precision of spinners Charles and Pierre.

Charles, 28, first removed opener Javaughn Buchanan (10), and later ripped through the middle order, erasing any hopes the Scorpions had of staging a fightback.

In fact, only West Indies left-handed batsman Kirk McKenzie, who topscored with a patient 153-ball 57, including two fours and two sixes, offered some resistance, before Royal became the second batsman to pass 20 runs. Pierre had 2-46 in 21 overs.

Elsewhere, at Frank Worrell Field in Trinidad and Tobago, Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners lead Guyana Harpy Eagles by 142 with three second innings wickets intact.

Scores: Campuses & Colleges Marooners 200 all out (Demario Richards 43, Romario Greaves 36, Avinash Mahabirsingh 23, Amari Goodridge 22, Jediah Blades 22 not out, Jarion Hoyte 21; Nial Smith 3-45, Veerasammy Permaul 3-51, Gudakesh Motie 2-40, Isai Thorne 2-45) and 165 for seven (Odaine McCatty 56, Shamarh Brooks 54 not out; Kevin Sinclair 2-29, Gudakesh Motie 2-42, Veerasammy Permaul 2-44).

Guyana Harpy Eagles 223 all out (Raymond Perez 62, Tevin Imlach 55, Kevin Sinclair 37, Kevlon Anderson 27; Avinash Mahabirsingh 17.4-2-51-8).

At the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, Barbados Pride lead Cricket West Indies Academy by 21 with seven second innings wickets in hand.

Scores: Barbados Pride 155 all out (Jonathan Drakes 35, Kevin Wickham 27, Shian Brathwaite 26, Demetrius Richards 21 not out; Johann Layne 3-23, McKenny Clarke 3-26, Joshua Bishop 2-25, Ramon Simmonds 2-43) and 109 for three (Kraigg Brathwaite 49 not out, Shian Brathwaite 21; Joshua Bishop 2-11).

CWI Academy 243 all out (Ackeem Auguste 76, Carlon Tuckett-Bowen 49, Johan Layne 38, McKenny Clarke 30; Akeem Jordan 4-76, Raymon Reifer 2-32, Jair McAllister 2-40, Shaquille Cumberbatch 2-75).

Meanwhile, At Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands Hurricanes were 232 runs ahead of Windward Islands Volcanoes, with eight second innings wickets intact.

Leeward Islands Hurricanes 300 all out (Mikyle Louis 100, Jewel Andrew 68, Jeremiah Louis 43, Jahmar Hamilton 34; Ryan John 3-67, Gilon Tyson 2-33, Daren Cyrus 2-70) and 111 for two (Mikyle Louis 33, Kieran Powell 31).

Windward Islands Volcanoes 179 all out (Johann Jeremiah 41, Shamar Springer 33, Kavem Hodge 29, Stephan Pascal 25; Daniel Doram 16-5-34-6, Hayden Walsh Jr 3-21).

Chase, Simmonds grab three-fors as Barbados Pride puts pressure on Windwards

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, the Windwards lost opener Devon Smith (11) with just 28 runs on the board and continued to lose wickets in clusters after that.  Denis Smith, Kavem Hodge (24), Alrick Athanaze (9) all got starts but did not carry on.

Teddy Bishop put up the most resistance with 44 from 61 balls and Larry Edwards added a useful 37 from 70 at the bottom of the innings.  Bishop’s innings came to an end when he was bowled by Miguel Cummins, while Chase accounted for Edwards.  Overall, Chase ended with figures of 3 for 44, while Simmonds had 3 for 27.

In response, Raymond Reifer put together an unbeaten 56, while Kraigg Brathwaite added 39 from 83 to close the day at 109 for 1, 94 runs behind the Windwards' first innings total.  Shane Mosely was the batsman that was out for 7.

Chemar Holder wrecks Scorpions as Pride race to 119-run victory at Sabina

Holder, 21, sharing the new ball with West Indies pacer Kemar Roach, bowled with pace and hostility, undermining the Scorpions batting for the second time in the match and paving the way for a commanding victory for the Pride on the third day of third-round matches in the Championship.

Holder bagged 6-47 from 14.3 overs to follow up his first-innings five-wicket blast and ended with match figures of 11-92, making him a shoo-in for the Player of the Match award.

Chasing 288 for victory, the Scorpions never recovered after they slumped to 37 for four before lunch.

Nkrumah Bonner led the way with 39 and Denis Smith, the former Volcanoes wicketkeeper/batsman from Grenada, added 26, but no other batsman reached 20.

The most defiant period for the Scorpions was a 49-run stand for the seventh wicket between Smith and Derval Green, which carried them past 100, but there was to be no comeback story for the hosts.

The result gave Pride their second successive win for the season and a haul of 18.8 points, and Scorpions failed to fashion an escape plan on the third time of asking this season, slumping to their first defeat after they drew their first two matches.

Earlier, there was token resistance from the Pride tail-enders after the visitors resumed from their overnight total of 179 for six.

Pride added 27 before they were bowled out inside the first half-hour, but no batsman reached 20.

Scorpions pacer Nicholson Gordon claimed three of the last four wickets to finish with a career-best 6-45 from 15 overs.

Scores: Pride (219) & (206) beat Scorpions (138) & (168) by 119 runs at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica

Cornwall finishes off Red Force to hand Leewards big win

The Red Force began the day behind the 8 ball, facing a deficit of 316 runs and with six wickets already lost.  Yannic Cariah, who resume the day on 37, however, did his best to keep T&T in the contest eventually going on to score a gritty 100 from 180 balls.

His overnight partner Bryan Charles only managed to add 16 to his total before being Cornwall’s first victim, caught by Amir Jangoo.

Anderson Phillip’s stay at the crease lasted just five deliveries as he was dismissed for 4, undone lbw by Hayden Walsh Jr.  Jayden Seales partnered with Cariah to put on 86 for the 9th wicket but Cornwall ended the partnership when he accounted for the valuable wicket of Cariah who was caught by Kieron Powell.  The innings was brought to an end when Seales was dismissed on 33 by Sheeno Berridge.  Overall Cornwall ended with second-innings figures of 4 for 50.

Cornwall takes six as Leewards rout Windwards

Resuming the day at 127 for 3, the Windwards were eventually skittled out for 184.  Having accounted for the wickets of Devon Smith and Alick Athanaze on the previous day, Cornwall returned to rip through the middle order.  Ackeem August was the spinner’s first victim after he was bowled for 18.  Keron Cottoy then added just 6 before becoming Cornwall’s next victim and when the spinner returned to account for the set Kavem Hodge, who was just 7 runs short of his half-century, the writing was on the wall for the Windwards.  Overall, the spinner ended with innings figures of 6 for 45.

Earlier, Cornwall had taken a five-wicket haul, which was critical in restricting the Windwards to 173 in their first innings.

Scores

Windwards

173 (55.0) & 184 *(69.3) All out

Leewards

333 (95.5) & 252 – 8 (60.5) Declared

Spinner Rahkeem Cornwall claimed a five-wicket haul to hand momentum to the Leeward Island Hurricanes in a tight battle with the Windward Volcanoes in the West Indies Championship at Port of Spain.

Resuming the day at

At the close of play, the Windwards were 127 for 3 and needed a further 286 runs for victory.  Earlier, it was Cornwall’s haul of 5 for 61 that played a pivotal role in

Cornwall, Thomas rip through Barbados batting to put Hurricanes in control after day two

The Pride started day two 294-8 from 88 overs and were able to add 28 more runs before being dismissed for 322 in 91.5 overs.

Captain Shane Dowrich, who entered the day not out on 116, finished 124 not out.

Rakheem Cornwall continued his sensational form with the ball this season with 6-50 from his 24 overs.

The Leeward had a horrific start to their reply as Montcin Hodge (6), Kieran Powell (5) and Akeem Saunders (0) all fell within the first seven overs to leave them 23-3.

Devon Thomas and Kofi James then tried to mount a comeback before, with the score on 44 in over number 13, Thomas fell off the bowling of Dominic Drakes for 20.

Just two balls later, James was dismissed by Shamar Springer for 12 with no further addition to the score.

Captain Jahmar Hamilton and Rakheem Cornwall then had one job, try to get to lunch without any further wickets.

The were unable to do that as Cornwall went off the bowling of Jonathan Carter for seven off the final ball before the lunch break to leave the Hurricanes 63-6 off 17 overs facing a deficit of 259 runs.

The post-lunch session was equally difficult for the Hurricanes. Hamilton and new batsman Jeremiah Louis were able to add 30 runs before Hamilton went off the bowling of Springer for 30.

However, good cameos from Louis (24), Hayden Walsh (20) and Colin Archibald (24) helped the Leewards recover to 154 all out in 42 overs at the tea interval, facing a deficit of 168 runs.

Dominic Drakes finished with 3-38 from 13 overs.

The Barbados second innings started promisingly as Zachary McCaskie and Sheyne Moseley put on 59 for the first wicket.

That wicket fell when McCaskie was dismissed by Cornwall for 29 in the 14th over. Not long after, Moseley went off the bowling of Devon Thomas for 27 to leave the Pride 65-2.

What followed was a massive collapse for the Pride as they lost their next five wickets for just four runs as Thomas and Cornwall ripped through the batting.

Jonathan Drakes (3), Jonathan Carter (0), Shane Dowrich (0), Kevin Wickham (1) and Shamar Springer (0) all fell within the next four overs to leave them 69-7 off 19.1 overs.

The eighth wicket fell just two balls later when Cornwall removed Chaim Holder for a duck for his fourth wicket of the innings and tenth in the match.  

Dominic Drakes was the ninth man to go, bowled by Thomas for 2 to give him a maiden first class five wicket haul and leave the Pride 71-9, leading by 239 runs.

The Pride were eventually bowled out for 78 leaving the Hurricanes needing 247 to win.

Cornwall finished with 5-19 from 7.2 overs while Thomas took 5-22 from nine overs.

The Hurricanes ended the day 13-0 off two overs.

Scores: Barbados Pride 322 off 91.5 overs (Shane Dowrich 124*, Chaim Holder 43, Rakheem Cornwall 6-50, Sheeno Berridge 2-39) and 78 off 23.2 overs (Zachary McCaskie 29, Sheyne Moseley 27, Rakheem Cornwall 5-19, Devon Thomas 5-22).

Leeward Islands Hurricanes 154 off 42 overs (Jahmar Hamilton 30, Jeremiah Louis 24, Colin Archibald 24, Dominic Drakes 3-38, Chaim Holder 2-7, Jair McAllister 2-36, Shemar Springer 2-48) and 13-0 off 2 overs (Montcin Hodge 9*)

Cornwall's six-fer helps Hurricanes to 273-run demolition of Harpy Eagles

Along with Cornwall’s bowling masterclass, the Hurricanes victory was large in part to Mikyle Louis, who achieved the rare feat of scoring a century in both innings to put the game beyond the reach of the Harpy Eagles batsmen, who struggled throughout.

Louis, a St Kitts and Nevis native, scored 113 and 130 which propelled the Hurricanes to 352 and 295 respectively, after which Cornwall combined with Daniel Doram and Jeremiah Louis, to restrict Harpy Eagles to 188 and 186.

The burly Cornwall ended with match figures of 7-89, after taking 1-28 in the first innings, while Doram, who had 4-40 in the first innings, took 2-48 in the second to end with match figures of 6-88. Jeremiah Louis had match figures of 4-80, after taking 3-42 and 1-38 across both innings.

Scores: Leeward Islands Hurricanes 352 & 295; Guyana Harpy Eagles 188 & 186

Set a daunting 460 to win, Harpy Eagles resumed the final day from an overnight score of 67-1, with Raymond Perez and Tagenarine Chanderpaul seeking to push on in their 55-run second wicket stand. However, Chanderpaul only added seven to his overnight score of 40, while Perez added only three runs to his 20.

Though Kevlon Anderson (26), Kevin Sinclair (23) and Kemol Savory (24), offered little resistance, they found Cornwall and Doram too hot to handle.

Veerasammy Permaul tried to counterattack with a 29-ball 30, including two sixes, but he eventually went caught behind off Jeremiah Louis, before Cornwall and Doram wrapped things up with the wickets of Anthony Adams and Neiland Cadogan, both without scoring.

Coronavirus: Barbados Pride declared winners as four-day championships cancelled

 Acting upon the advice of the CWI Medical Advisory Committee, the board decided to cancel the last two rounds of matches in the first-class season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Barbados Pride top of the points table after the eighth round, the Board unanimously agreed to award the Headley/Weekes Trophy to Barbados.

“All around the sporting world, we are faced with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cricket, cricketers and all our stakeholders involved in the game have been affected at various levels and we must continue to work to together and act responsibly in containing the spread of the virus,” said CWI CEO Johnny Grave.

“Ten days ago, we suspended our tournaments and camps for 30 days and now we have extended that suspension until the end of May as well as reluctantly cancelled some tournaments and tours in their entirety.  We will continue to monitor and assess the situation and make further decisions and announcements in due course.”

Grave added that the health and safety of everyone concerned were paramount and noted that CWI has put all systems in place to make sure its staff was observing the necessary protocols as outlined by the CWI Medical Advisory Committee and the World Health Organisation.

CWI has also reinforced the importance for all Territorial Boards and Local Cricket Associations to follow the advice of their respective Ministries of Health.

Below is the final points table:

Barbados Pride                                  134.8 points

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force          94.6 points

Guyana Jaguars                                  91.8 points

Jamaica Scorpions                             91.8 points

Windward Islands Volcanoes           78 points

Leeward Islands Hurricanes            52.8 points

Meanwhile, the Tournaments and Camps immediately affected are:

Colonial Medical Insurance Women’s Super50 Cup – postponed to later this year.

Regional Under-19s Women’s T20 Championship – postponed to later this year.

Regional Under-15s Boys Championship – cancelled for 2020.

West Indies Under-15s Tour to England in the summer – cancelled for 2020.

West Indies High-Performance and International preparation training camps – cancelled until at least May 31, 2020.

Cricket West Indies announces schedule for 2025 West Indies Championship

The 2025 West Indies Championship will take place from January 29-April 12, Cricket West Indies announced on Friday.

This year’s edition will include a number of innovations such as the return of first innings points in drawn matches, the use of Kookaburra balls for two rounds and at least one pink ball day/night fixture per team.

Cricket West Indies Launches Bold New Scouting System with Focus on West Indies Championship

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has unveiled a groundbreaking, data-driven scouting system aimed at identifying and developing the best cricketing talent across the region. This initiative marks a significant shift in player assessment, with Senior Talent Managers, Territorial Talent Identifiers (TTIDs), and a network of scouts collaborating to provide a structured, analytical approach to talent identification.

Cricket West Indies suspends season amid Coronavirus concerns

The move is being taken out of an abundance of caution in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Major events across the sporting world have been taking action over recent days in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The CWI tournaments affected are:

Last two rounds of the West Indies Championship
The Women's CMI Super 50 Cup
Regional Under 15s Boys Championship
Regional Under 19s Girls Championship

All urgent CWI Board matters will be addressed via teleconference.

Dr Israel Dowlat, the CWI's chief medical officer, said: "The health and safety of our players, officials and staff, are of paramount importance to CWI and we have advised the Board of Directors to take proactive policy steps to decrease the growing risk of contamination and spread of the virus."

Dr Donovan Bennett, the chairman of MAC, said the decision was in accordance with medical best practice and an "abundance" of caution.

"We are acting based on medical best practice as well as in an abundance of caution. The ongoing gathering of even small groups of spectators, cricketers and match officials could pose a risk to some persons of contracting the virus and being stranded in quarantine in a non-resident country for a prolonged period. Clearly this pandemic is still evolving, and we will continue to monitor the situation throughout the Caribbean."

CWI has also advised all territorial boards and local cricket associations to follow the advice of their respective Ministries of Health.

 

CWI Director of Cricket says West Indies Championship format will be reviewed- “We do want to play more First-Class cricket”

Since the return of the West Indies Championship in 2021, the format has been changed drastically.

Now, teams play each other only once, significantly reducing the amount of first-class cricket players around the region are getting to play.

CWI director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, is aware of the concerns raised about the amount of first-class cricket being played in the West indies in comparison to the rest of the world

“The format and structure of the First-Class regional tournament is something that is going to be reviewed coming out of this year,” said the former West Indies batsman.

“We do want to play more First-Class cricket but we also made a commitment to try to play as much higher standard first-class cricket as possible, which is the reason behind the Headley Weekes concept,” he added.

As stated by Adams, the Headley Weekes Tri-Series was introduced this year, with the West Indies Academy coming out victorious.

“We will be reviewing that addition to the season to see if there’s merit in continuing with it. We’re also considering whether we can add more teams to our regional tournament based on the performance of the Academy team in that tournament,” Adams said.

Another solution Adams offered up was the increase in the number of “A” team tours in the future. The West Indies “A” team are currently touring Bangladesh.

“We are conscious of building up more First-Class cricket. A large part of that is also going to revolve around “A” team tours and we have a commitment from CWI to adding regular “A” team series, home and away, for the next cycle which is about three to four years,” Adams said.

“It’s not something that you can put on paper and get a sign-off immediately, it’s ongoing negotiations with board to find windows where we can see teams or send teams away. Again, we are conscious of building up First-Class cricket but the priority is to make sure the standard of it is as high as possible,” he added.

CWI to host 2021-2022 franchise player draft via video call

The territorial board franchises will be convening to draft the final two players for their squads to play in the forthcoming season, which will hopefully include the CG Insurance Super50 Cup and the West Indies Championship. 

The draft will be conducted over two rounds, where each franchise must pick a player in each round. Each franchise will pick two players to add to their pre-selected squad of thirteen (13) protected players, to make a full squad of fifteen (15) players. The franchises will be selecting their two picks from a pool of nearly 100 players. 

For the 2021-22 season, each franchise will be allocated a pick number according to their final league position and performance of the franchise in the last West Indies Championship, held in 2019-20 and won by the Barbados Pride (see table below for sequence of draft picks).  Each franchise will have 90 seconds in each round to make a pick. Where a selection is not made within this time period, the franchise will miss their turn and will have to wait until all the other franchises have made their selection in that round, before making its selection.

Once the franchises have made their full picks to confirm their fifteen retained players, a total of 90 cricketers across the six franchises will be retained on full-time regional contracts for the next twelve months. 

CWI’s Cricket Operations Manager, Roland Holder said, “The draft, now in its eighth (8th) year, demonstrates that CWI remains committed to our professional cricket structure and system, even in these times of uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ninety (90) regional players who will be awarded regional franchise contracts, will be able to train and practice professionally as CWI hopes for a return to normalcy in regional cricket later this year.”

Each choice by each Franchise selection committee will be monitored and recorded by the draft overseer (s), as notified to the Franchises by CWI.

CWI unveils 2023 West Indies Championship schedule to be followed by new Headley Weekes Series

Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Saturday announced a new innovation for the long format of the game, with the addition of a triangular red-ball tournament to start at the end of the West Indies Championship in April, 2023.  The new Headley Weekes Series will feature three matches and three teams. Team Headley and Team Weekes will be selected from the best performers in the 2023 West Indies Championship and players outside the starting West Indies Test XI. The new West Indies Academy will provide the third team in the new Series.

Team Headley and Team Weekes are named in honour of West Indies pioneers and legendary batting greats George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes, whose names are also honoured on the Trophy for the winners of the West Indies Championship. The matches will be played from 18 April to 6 May at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua.

Before that, the 2023 edition of West Indies Championship will be played across five rounds of four-day, red ball cricket featuring the six regional Franchise teams – defending champions Barbados Pride, Guyana Harpy Eagles, Jamaica Scorpions, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, and Windward Islands Volcanoes.

The 2023 West Indies Championship commences in February. The first two rounds will be played from 1 February to 11 February in Grenada at the National Stadium and in Antigua at the CCG and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS). There will then be a break and the tournament will resume on 15 March and run until 1 April for the final three rounds, after which the champions will be crowned and presented with the Headley Weekes Trophy. These matches will be played in Trinidad at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA), Queens Park Oval (QPO) and the Diego Martin Sports Complex (DMSC). 

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI said: “We are delighted to unveil the Headley Weekes Series, which is a new idea that will extend the four-day season, create more opportunities for our players to showcase their skills and will be a huge incentive for them to strive towards selection into our ‘A’ Team, and ultimately our Test Team.  It will also provide some strong competitive red-ball cricket for our new West Indies Academy Players as we continue to try to ensure that the next generation of players are being prepared along the pathway to international cricket.  Whilst the West Indies Championship is once again going to be played on a ‘one’ round, five-match basis, with the plans we have for our ‘A’ Team and Academy to go on overseas tours after the Headley Weekes Series we expect our best players in the region will still play at least ten four-day games in the first half of next year.”

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES

West Indies Championship 2023

(for Headley Weekes trophy)

1 to 4 February: 1st round in Grenada and Antigua

8 to 11 February: 2nd round in Grenada and Antigua

15 to 18 March: 3rd round in Trinidad

22 to 25 March: 4th round in Trinidad

29 March to 1 April: 5th round in Trinidad

Full Fixtures to be announced soon

Headley Weekes Tri-Series

(to be played at CCG)

19 to 22 April: Team Headley v West Indies Academy 

26 to 29 April: Team Weekes vs West Indies Academy

3 to 6 May: Team Weekes vs Team Headley

Da Silva century rescues Red Force against Scorpions; Louis also ton up in Hurricanes contest against Volcanoes

Da Silva’s 106 off 140 ball, took Red Force from 96-4 to 308-7 at close of Wednesday’s first day. The wicketkeeper/batsman struck 15 fours and one six in his knock, as he shared in an 80-run fifth-wicket stand with Amir Jangoo, who continued his rich vein of form with a 90-ball 51 off.

Terrance Hinds, unbeaten on 21, and Khary Pierre, on one, will resume batting for Red Force on Thursday.

Spinners Peat Salmon (2-68) and Jeavor Royal (2-76) have taken most wickets so far for the Scorpions.

Scores: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 308-7 (Joshua Da Silva 106, Amir Jangoo 51, Kjorn Ottley 45, Navin Bidaisee 31; Pete Salmon 2-68)

After being asked to take first strike, Red Force lost Cephas Cooper (12) early, but a 52-run second-wicket partnership between Kjorn Ottley (45) and Jyd Goolie (19), steadied the innings at 81-1, before Salmon and Royal grabbed three quick wickets for 15 runs.

That brought Da Silva and Jangoo together and the two steadied the Red Force innings from 96-4. Jangoo stroked seven boundaries and a six, before he was removed by Ojay Shields.

Still, Da Silva pushed on, adding another 92 runs in a sixth-wicket stand with Navin Bidaisee (31), but eventually went to Royal, after adding 36 for the seventh wicket with Hinds.

Elsewhere, at Frank Memorial Ground in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana Harpy Eagles trail Combined Campuses and Colleges by 86 runs with nine first innings wickets intact.

Scores: Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners 200 (Demario Richards 43, Romario Greaves 36, Avinash Mahabirsingh 23; Nial Smith 3-45, Veerasammy Permaul 3-51)

Guyana Harpy Eagles 114-1 (Raymond Perez 61 not out, Kevlon Anderson 27 not out)

In Antigua, at Coolidge Cricket Ground, West Indies Academy trail Barbados Pride by 44 runs with six first innings wickets intact.

Scores: Barbados Pride 155 (Jonathan Drakes 35, Kevin Wickham 27, Shian Brathwaite 26; Johann Layne 3-23, McKenny Clarke 3-26)

West Indies Academy 111 for four (Ackeem Auguste 67 not out; Akeem Jordan 2-37)

Meanwhile, at Queen’s Park Oval, Windward Islands Volcanoes trail Leeward Islands Hurricanes by 294 runs with nine first innings wickets intact.

Scores: Leeward Islands Hurricanes 300 (Mikyle Louis 100, Jewel Andrew 68, Jeremiah Louis 43; Ryan John 3-67, Gilon Tyson 2-33, Daren Cyrus 2-70)

Windward Islands Volcanoes 6-1