Defending champions Barbados delivered a commanding all-round performance to defeat Guyana by 49 runs and successfully retain their West Indies Rising Stars Under-15 Championship crown at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Needing only to avoid defeat in the final round to secure the title, Barbados instead closed the tournament in emphatic fashion, posting 209-8 before bowling out Guyana for 160 in 45.3 overs. The victory marked Barbados’ fifth consecutive win of the competition and capped a second successive unbeaten campaign.
They ended on 27.4 points, well ahead of Trinidad and Tobago (19.4 points), Guyana (18.6 points), and Jamaica (16.2 points). Windward Islands (8.2 points), and Leeward Islands (4.2 points) round out the table.
Barbados were tested early after opting to bat, as they lost four wickets for 70, but a composed 47 from wicketkeeper Seth Smith and key supporting knocks from captain Justin Parris (38) and Rajeev Parsooram (21) helped steady the innings. Smith and Parsooram stitched together a critical 61-run fifth-wicket partnership before the latter fell to left-arm pacer Brandon Henry.
Smith continued to anchor the innings, sharing a further 39-run stand with Yuvraj Persaud (19) that pushed Barbados past 170. Guyana’s bowlers managed to apply pressure in the closing overs, conceding just 33 runs from the final seven. Medium pacer Reyaz Latif was the most successful of the attack, finishing with three for 31, while Henry took two for 24, and Usain Fredericks (2-53).
Guyana’s response never gained traction. Their top order crumbled early, slumping to 35 for three as Barbados' new-ball bowlers made early inroads. Lomar Seecharan (20) and Nathaniel Ramsammy (32) were the only batsmen to offer resistance at that point.
Medium pacers Asher Branford and Joshua Thompson intensified the collapse by removing Arif Bacchus (five) and captain Richard Ramdehol (zero), leaving Guyana in disarray at 55 for five.
A defiant knock from Henry briefly gave Guyana hope. He struck a measured 50 from 88 deliveries to lead a lower-order resistance that saw Guyana reach 156 for eight. But once Parsooram claimed his vital scalp, the innings unraveled quickly, with the last three wickets tumbling for just four runs.
Branford led the bowling attack with figures of three for 19, while Parsooram (2-19), Thompson (2-35), and Parris (2-25) shared the other wickets to seal Barbados' title in style.
Elsewhere in the final round, Jamaica wrapped up their campaign with a dominant 10-wicket win over the Windward Islands at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Windward Islands collapsed for a paltry 86 after choosing to bat. Six Windwards batsmen failed to score, and the team stumbled to 11 for three before Jamie Wickham’s 42 added a hint of respectability.
Medium pacer Andrew Lloyd tore through the lower order with four for 25, while Eckoney Robinson (2-16), Wayne Plummer (2-18), and Raheim Livingston (2-22) shared the other wickets.
In reply, Jamaica made light work of the target, racing to 87 without loss in just 12.2 overs. Luwain Pryce (32 not out) and Rajae McGeachy (30 not out) ensured a swift and clinical finish.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago condemned the Leeward Islands to a winless tournament by completing a six-wicket win at the Antigua Recreation Ground. The Leewards could only muster 92 in 25.4 overs after being sent in, with Jathan Edward (19), De'Morae Prentice (18), Clayvaunte Powell (18), and Kyan Maccow (15) the only batsmen to offer little resistance in another dismal batting effort.
Trinidad and Tobago's bowlers shared the spoils, with Sanjiv Bachu (3-12), Jayden Sadaphal (3-28), and Giovanni McKnight (3-29) combining to wipe out the opposition. Openers Jordan Julien (36) and Kaiden Pollard (21) then laid the foundation with a 55-run partnership as Trinidad and Tobago eased to 93-4 in 16.4 overs, despite a brief wobble.