Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana all secured wins as action continued in the third round of the CWI Women’s Super50 on Friday in St. Kitts.

Kyshona Knight was the star of the day at Conaree Sports Club as Barbados hammered Jamaica by 205 runs.

The Bajans posted an imposing 318-8 from their 50 overs batting first, with Knight making a spectacular 144 off just 119 balls including 19 fours and a six.

She was well supported by West Indies Under-19 representative Trishan Holder (36) and captain Hayley Matthews (31) while Neisha-Ann Wasome led the way with the ball for Jamaica with 3-65 from her 10 overs.

Jamaica was forced to bat with 10 as captain Stafanie Taylor suffered an injury in the field.

Their reply never really got out of first gear, eventually folding at 113-9 in the 29th over.

West Indies representative Chedean Nation (32) and Natasha McLean (27) were the only batters to provide any resistance against Keila Elliot’s 4-19 off 5.4 overs. Shamilia Connell and Aaliyah Williams also took two wickets each for Barbados who now have three wins in as many games.

At Warner Park, Guyana secured a nail-biting one run win over the Leeward Islands.

Shabika Gajnabi led the way with 49 and Kaysia Schultz added 25 as Guyana posted 167-9 off their 50 overs. Tonya Martin took 4-36 from 10 overs for the Leewards.

Then, despite a top-score of 74 off 124 balls from Amanda Edwards, the Leewards reply ended agonizingly short at 166-9 from 50 overs.

Shenetta Grimmond took 3-26 from her 10 overs while Plaffiana Millington (2-26) and Gajnabi (2-31) also provided good spells.

At St. Paul’s Sports Complex, Trinidad & Tobago squeezed out a narrow two-wicket win over the Windward Islands.

Afy Fletcher (50) and Qiana Joseph (29) led the way as the Windwards were first bowled out for 150 in 44.3 overs.

Karishma Ramharack took 3-24 off 9.3 overs for T&T.

Trinidad & Tobago’s successful chase was led by 53 from Reniece Boyce, 24 from Shalini Samaroo and 23* from Ramharack as they limped across the line at 152-8 in 38.3 overs.

Qiana Joseph completed an excellent all-round performance with 6-20 from her 10 overs for the Windwards.

 

The Windward Islands picked up their second win of the 2023 CG United Women’s Super50 Cup, defeating the Leeward Islands by eight wickets at Warner Park on Wednesday.

After winning the toss and bowling first, the Windwards made easy work of the Leewards. By the 19th over, the Leewards were all out as left arm spinner Qiana Joseph picked up her first career hat trick as part of a five-wicket haul. 

Divya Saxena was the lone Leewards batter to reach double figures and she remained unbeaten on 44 as her team was all out for 59.

Joseph had figures of 5-0-14-5, while seamer Jannillea Glasgow had 5-3-11-2.

In reply, the Windwards openers added 48 before Malika Edward was the first to go for 31. Namiah Marcellin made 12, then skipper Afy Fletcher smashed two boundaries on her way to 11 not out as the Windwards reached victory in 15.1 overs.

“Our team plans were the same as we did against Guyana. We wanted to bowl first and we got the toss win. It was exciting to bowl them out for less than 60, the plan worked faster than we expected,” said Windwards vice-captain Jannillea Glasgow to CWI Media after the match.

“We just have to continue sticking to the basics heading into the rest of matches. Qiana just kept that momentum from the Guyana game and she was buzzing around. To our competitors, we are coming for them, we are not backing down,” she added.

At Conaree Sports Ground, a batting masterclass by skipper Hayley Matthews took defending champions Barbados to their second win is as many matches with a nine-wicket victory over Guyana.

Batting first, Guyana’s struggles with the bat continued. Sheneta Grimmond top-scored with 24, while skipper Shemaine Campbelle and Kaysia Schultz made 21 each, as they posted 121 all out in 34.3 overs. Shakera Selman, Shamilia Connell, Hayley Matthews and Keila Elliott all grabbed two wickets apiece.

It was then the Matthews show as she shared in a 109-run opening stance with Kycia Knight who made 40. Matthews smashed four sixes and eight fours to finish the innings on 72 not out from 42 deliveries as Barbados needed just 17.1 overs to reach their target.

In the day’s other game, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force Divas pulled off a thrilling one-wicket victory over Jamaica at the St. Paul’s ground.

Batting first, Natasha McLean (59) rescued Jamaica’s innings, after their top-order collapsed at 19/4 in 13.5 overs.

McLean and Chedean Nation (24) then shared in a 59-run partnership as Jamaica reached 123 all out in 39.4 overs. 

Teenager Samara Ramnath dominated with her off-breaks as she finished with figures of 7.4-4-13-5 while Kirbyina Alexander was next best with 7-1-17-2.

Britney Cooper led the Red Force Divas run-chase with a top-score of 53 as T&T pulled off the thrilling win. Vanessa Watts was the top Jamaican bowler with figures of 10-4-16-3, followed by Celina Whyte with 9-0-24-2.

 

Barbados opened their defence of the CG United Women’s Super50 Cup with a six-wicket victory over the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force Divas at Warner Park on Monday. There were also wins for Windward Islands over Guyana and Jamaica over the Leeward Islands as the tournament got going in St Kitts.

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Red Force Divas innings never got going despite a valiant effort with the bat from debutant Shunelle Sawh who top-scored with 68 from 113 balls.

Sawh, a member of the West Indies Rising Stars Under 19 team, hit six boundaries as she shared a 60-run stand with Britney Cooper who made a quick 32 off 48, as the Red Force Divas posted 161 all out. 

Barbados debutant, right-arm medium pacer Allison Gordon, and experienced leg-spinner Keila Elliott ran riot on the Red Force batting line-up.

Gordon bagged the wickets of Shania Abdool (2), Reneice Boyce (0), Djenaba Joseph (6) and Anisa Mohammed (16), to finish with figures of 10-1-36-4 and Elliot 9-0-40-4.

When Barbados batted, twins Kyshona and Kycia Knight posted a 74-run partnership as the defending champs reached 162-4 to win by six wickets. Kycia made 37 off 66 balls and Kyshona was run-out soon after for a 61-ball 35.

Then, the experienced pair of Shakera Selman and Aaliyah Alleyne had a 72-run partnership as Barbados secured victory in 38.4 overs. Alleyne finished unbeaten on 48 from 51 balls while Selman was with her on 21 from 43 balls. Bowling for the Red Force Divas, Steffie Soogrim finished with figures of 9-0-36-2. 

At Conaree, captain Afy Fletcher steered the Windward Islands to an easy nine-wicket victory over Guyana to take early points. Winning the toss and batting first, Guyana mustered 79 all out in 27.1 overs.

They were undone by left-arm spinner Qiana Joseph who finished with figures of 10-3-18-4. Realeanna Grimmond 20 and Mandy Magru 18 were the only Guyanese batters to reach double figures. Fletcher was also lethal with her leg-spin with figures of 5.1-2-10-2.

Fletcher then returned with the bat to finish unbeaten on 44 from 52 balls while Namiah Marcellin (29*) was with her when victory came in 21.2 overs.

At St. Paul’s Ground, Celina Whyte’s medium pace was too much for the Leeward Islands as Jamaica secured a six-wicket victory.

Winning the toss and batting first, Terez Parker (32) and Divya Saxena (30) took the Leeward Islands to 120 all out in 28.4 overs.

Whyte’s pace proved too much for the home team, as she finished with figures of 8.4-1-31-5 followed by Vanessa Watts with 8-0-23-4.

Natasha McLean then led the Jamaica run-chase with the bat finishing 33* with Rashada Williams providing good support with 31 as Jamaica reached victory in 24.1 overs. Amanda Edwards was the best of the Leewards bowlers with figures of 5-0-17-2.

 

Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago secured wins in their respective Concacaf Under-20 Women’s qualifying matches on Monday.

Guyana were one of the biggest winners of the day with a 10-0 hammering of Dominica at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Jalade Trim opened the scoring for Guyana in the fifth minute before Se-hanna Mars doubled their lead nine minutes later. Mars also converted in the 16th and 18th minutes to complete a swift hat trick before adding a fourth in the 31st minute.

Mars was at it again in the 37th minute to complete a five-goal first half to hole Guyana enter halftime with a commanding 6-0 lead. Their seventh came three minutes into the second half when Heike Clarke converted from a corner kick. The 66th minute saw Mars score her sixth and Guyana’s eighth of the day before the scoring was completed by Glendy Lewis (78’) and Jalade Trim (92’).

Guyana now has six points from two games to sit second in Group C behind hosts the Dominican Republic, who defeated Suriname 3-0 and have a two-goal advantage on goal difference. The two teams will do battle on Wednesday.

Trinidad & Tobago secured a 3-2 win over Guadeloupe at the Stadion Rignaal Jean Francisca in Curacao to get their second win in as many games in Group D.

The Trinidadians took the lead in the eighth minute through a J’eleisha Alexander penalty before Laetitia Echard equalized for Guadeloupe two minutes before halftime.

T&T retook the lead in the 51st minute when Alexander converted her second penalty of the game. Alexander completed her hat trick in the 61st minute to give Trinidad & Tobago a 3-1 lead. Sergyna Loubli scored the consolation goal for Guadeloupe in the 84th minute.

Trinidad & Tobago trail Group D leaders Puerto Rico be six goals on goal difference heading into their clash on Wednesday.

Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago got their Women U20 Championship qualifiers off to winning starts on Saturday.

Six games were played in Groups C, D and F. In Group C action at the Estadio Felix Sanchez Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Guyana drubbed Suriname 6-0.

Se-Hanna Mars opened the scoring in the 24th minute before Sandra Johnson scored the first of her two goals in the 44th as Guyana took a 2-0 lead into half-time. Johnson added her second shortly after the resumption in the 47th minute.

 Glendy Lewis added Guyana’s fourth in minute 55 and Samantha Banfield made it 5-0 five minutes later. Jalade Trim completed the rout in the 90th minute.

In the second match on the night the Dominican Republic clobbered Dominica 15-0 as  Angelina Vargas scoring a double hat-trick, her goals coming in the sixth, 11th, 33rd 44th, 73rd and 78th minutes.

Jaylen Valecillo (7’, 21’, 63’) also had a hat trick, Ariana Diaz had a brace (14’, 37’) while Jazmyn Jackson (9’), Renata Mercedes (11’), Stella Tapia (86’) and Isabella Ventura (90’) all chipped in with scores.

The Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium in Willemstad is serving as the site for Group D, and Trinidad and Tobago got off to a winning start in a 3-0 final against Cayman Islands. Talia Martin scored goals in the 22’ and 68’, while Nikita Jackson found the back of the net in the 66’ to give Trinidad and Tobago the three points.

Puerto Rico enjoyed a winning start in Willemstad as they topped Guadeloupe 5-0. Kenedy Garcia (12’), Enasia Colon (40’), Estefania Gonzalez (52’), Jocelyn Chinea (73’) and Fabiola Martinez (88’) supplied the goals for the Boricuas.

The Estadio Nacional in Managua was the location of the day’s games in Group F, beginning with Costa Rica’s 13-0 win over Belize.

Alexa Herrera had four goals (7’, 14’, 20’, 33’), Sheika Scott notched a hat trick (4’, 45+2’, 56’), Tanisha Fonseca contributed a brace (12’, 29’) and Jocelyn Briceno (33’), Dayra Dinarte (56’), Veronica Matarrita (71’) and Luciana Gonzalez (89’) all added scores for the Ticas.

Host nation Nicaragua took on Guatemala in the second game of the day in Managua and it ended with a 3-1 win to Nicaragua.

Aryeri Mejia (56’) and Daniela Manzanares (64’) scored for the Pinoleras in addition to an own goal (69’), while Guatemala got their score from Karen Gonzalez (19’).

All of the teams will be back in action on Monday.

In Group C in Santo Domingo, Guyana will look to make it two wins in a row versus Dominica, while the Dominican Republic will try to continue their scoring ways against Suriname.

Group D in Willemstad will see Trinidad and Tobago seek a second win against Guadeloupe, while Puerto Rico take on Cayman Islands.

Led by a brilliant half-century from Christian Lall, Trinidad and Tobago were crowned champions of the West Indies Rising Stars Under 15 Championship, as they defeated the Leeward Islands by six wickets at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

The Leewards batting first posted 162 all out in 48 overs, with a half-century for skipper Matthew Miller. He shared in a 63-run partnership with Jaheem Clarke as the pair showed resistance to the spin of Yasir Deen and Alejandro Kassiram. Deen and Kassiram finished with figures of 3/34 and 3/9 respectively.

Lall and Dimitri Ramjattan then posted a 77-run opening partnership before Ramjattan was caught for 19. Trinidad and Tobago lost three more wickets in pursuit of victory, but Yasir Deen nudged the ball for the winning single in the last ball of the 35th over.

In the end, the champions reached 163-4 with Lall making 52 and Zane Maraj 28*. Kunal Tilokani finished with figures of 2/45.

The Windward Islands took home a four-wicket win over Jamaica at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium to close of their championship on a winning note. Batting first, Jamaica posted 146 all out in 42.3 overs, thanks to a top score of 39 from Demarco Scott and 36 from Odane Binns. Theo Edward was the pick of the Windward bowlers with figures of 4/27.

Edward then starred with the bat as well with 59 as the Windwards reached 149-6 off 35.5 overs. Nicoli McKenzie, Geovanni Gray and Joel Williams all ended with two wickets for Jamaica.

In the third match, Guyana beat last year’s winners Barbados by seven wickets at Liberta Sports Ground. Batting first, Barbados was all out for 69 in 20.5 overs. Oliver Gooding top-scored for the Bajans with 23. Arun Gainda 3/10, skipper Dave Mohabir 3/13 and Jonathan Mentore 3/14 were the leading bowlers for Guyana.

Mentore then returned to score 17 runs and 14 from Romario Ramdeholl, but it was the 25 runs that came via extras that took Guyana home to a comfortable win at 70-3 in 23 overs. Akobi Crichlow-Byer was the best Barbados bowler with figures of 2/18.

Earsinho Fontaine of the Windward Islands finished as the leading run-scorer with 197 runs while T&T’s Yasir Deen ended with 14 wickets to lead the tournament. In the field, T&T teammates Christiano Ramanan (9) and Scyon Charles (6) led the tournament in dismissals and catches, respectively.

Brendan Boodoo starred with 82 as Trinidad & Tobago beat Barbados by 17 runs for their third win in as many games in the CWI Rising Stars Under-15 Championship at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday.

The Trinidadians made 235-8 off their 50 overs batting first. Boodoo was supported by contributions from Christian Lall (25) and Dimitri Ramjattan (22). R’Jai Gittens was the best bowler on the day for Barbados with 2-61 off eight overs.

Then, despite 65 from Gadson Bowens and 61 from Raphael Lovell, the defending champions were restricted to 218 all out off 49 overs.

Boodoo, Yasir Deen and Darrius Batoosingh all took two wickets apiece to lead the charge.

At Coolidge, the Windward Islands secured a 29-run win over Guyana. Tyler Venner top-scored with 45 as the Windwards were dismissed for 174 off 50 overs. Guyana captain Dave Mohabir led the way with 3-19 from his 10 overs while Shane Price and Adrian Hetmyer took 2-49 and 2-36 from 10 overs and five overs, respectively.

In reply, Guyana was then restricted to 145 off 40.3 overs with Razam Koobir (39) and Navin Boodwah (35) leading the way.

Jorden Charles took 4-31 off 8.3 overs and Theo Edward took 3-19 from seven for the Windwards.

The Leeward Islands beat Jamaica by six wickets at the Liberta Sports Club in the day’s other game.

Jamaica was bowled out for 117 in 26.2 overs batting first. Amoree Jones took 4-20 off five overs while Krishna Girdhari and Lythe Brown took two wickets, each.

The Leewards then needed only 33.1 overs to reach 119-4 thanks to 31* from Lawshorn Bergan and 23 from Matthew Miller.

Ryan Lyttleton finished with 3-36 off 9.1 overs for the Jamaicans.

The fourth round of matches take place on Monday with Jamaica facing Trinidad & Tobago at Coolidge, the Leeward Islands battling Guyana at the Liberta Sports Club and the Windward Islands facing Barbados at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

At the Liberta Sports Club, Trinidad & Tobago got their second consecutive dominant win with a seven-wicket triumph over the Windward Islands on Thursday.

In a match reduced to 20-overs-per-side due to rain, the Windwards, who comfortably beat the Leewards in their first game, were bowled out for 71 in 18.2 overs.

Only first game centurion Earsinho Fontaine (23) and captain Theo Edward (14) were able to get double figures as the Trinidadian bowling effort was led by Yasir Deen who took 3-9 from four overs and Brendan Boodoo who ended with similar figures.

With the bat, T&T needed just 11.5 overs to reach 75-3 with Zane Maraj and Christian Lall finishing 18* and 7*, respectively. Earlier, Boodoo top scored with 21 while Darrius Batoosingh got 16.

At the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium, Guyana got their first win when they defeated Jamaica by 15 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

The Guyanese were bowled out for 121 in 42.2 overs in their turn at the crease. Romario Ramdeholl led the way with an unbeaten 54 as Nicoli McKenzie took 4-25 off eight overs and Demarco Scott 3-21 off 10.

A rain delay with Jamaica 13-0 early in their reply meant they ended up needing 112 off 33 overs for victory.

They ended up being bowled out for 96 in the 33rd over. Tyson Gordon Jr made 23 while Joel Williams finished 19* as Dave Mohabir and Dhanesh Persaud took two wickets, each.

At Coolidge, the Leewards beat Barbados by four wickets via the DLS method.

Batting first, Barbados was restricted to 129 in 41.4 overs. Seth Smith top-scored with 23 and Jakeem Pollard made 19 against Kunal Tilokani’s 4-17 off seven overs and four balls and 3-19 off seven overs from Amoree Jones.

Due to lengthy rain delays, the Leewards’ target was reduced to 78 off 20 overs. They successfully reached 78-6 off 18 overs thanks to 18* from Matthew Miller.

The teams will next be in action on Saturday with the Leeward Islands taking on Jamaica at Liberta Sports Club, Trinidad & Tobago facing Barbados at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and Guyana facing the Winward Islands at Coolidge.

 

Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and the Windward Islands all secured wins as the CWI Rising Stars Under-15 Championship bowled off on Tuesday in Antigua.

At Coolidge, Trinidad & Tobago easily got the better of Guyana by seven wickets. The Guyanese batted first and were only able to make 75 in 32.4 overs.

Yasir Deen and Darrius Batoosingh starred with the ball for the young Trinidadians with 3-8 off four overs and 3-10 off six overs, respectively.

It only took 15.2 overs for T&T to successfully reach their target, finishing 76-3. Christian Lall led the way with 34*.

At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the Windward Islands beat the Leeward Islands by 99 runs. The Windwards piled up an impressive 263-3 off their 50 overs thanks to a brilliant 130* off 146 balls by Earsinho Fontaine.

They also got healthy contributions from Jonathan Daniel (52) and captain Theo Edward (37).

In reply, the Leewards were dismissed for 164 in 44.1 overs. Jaheem Clarke led the way with 40* while captain Matthew Miller made 26 and Eirette Richards 23 against 3-15 from captain Edward and 3-14 from Elran Glasgow.

At the Liberta Sports Club, Jamaica pulled off an exciting 18-run win over defending champions Barbados.

Batting first, the Jamaicans made a modest 165 off 42.3 overs. Demarco Scott led the way with 49 while Savio Jones got 34 as R’Jai Gittens ripped through the Jamaica line-up to claim 4-24 from his seven overs.

The Barbados chase seemed to be going smoothly at 144-4 in the 36th over but things quickly went south as they lost their final six wickets for just three runs to be bowled out for 147 in 39 overs.

Gadson Bowens led the wat with 64 while Justin Parris got 47. The Jamaican fightback was led by hero with the bat, Demarco Scott, and Adrian Silvera. Scott took 3-12 in his six overs and Silvera bowled eight overs, finishing with 3-22.

Action continues Friday with Jamaica taking on Guyana at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the Leeward Islands facing Barbados at Coolidge and Trinidad & Tobago battling the Windward Islands at the Liberta Sports Club.

 

 

As Guyana Harpy Eagles bask in the glory of being crowned champions of regional first-class cricket, their captain Leon Johnson is feeling mighty proud of his team’s performance throughout the action-packed season.

The ebullient Johnson had the honor of raising the Headley-Weekes Trophy, capping off the final day of his professional career on Saturday the Guyana National Stadium. This came moments after his team performed a miracle with the ball to bowl out Leeward Islands Hurricanes on an eventful final morning. This kept them at the top of the table in the West Indies Championship.

Chasing 143 to win, the Hurricanes started the day on 81-1, and at 91-1, they looked set for a comfortable victory. However, off-spinner Kevin Sinclair with an incredible spell of bowling removed key Leewards batsmen and caused a collapse.

Johnson was overcome with emotion shortly after his team achieved the remarkable comeback and he received the Headley-Weekes trophy from Enoch Lewis, Cricket West Indies Director. He was full of praise for his team.

“This was a great performance … a great team performance and I’m massively proud of everyone who contributed towards us winning. We worked hard before the season, and we worked hard throughout this season. We were really tested in this final match, and we responded to the challenge with a magnificent win,” Johnson said.

“One of the great things about the season was the progress made by the young players in the team. As various time they stood up with major performances and that was great to see. We made progress. Also, tribute to the senior players who also led from the front, offered invaluable advice and made my job as captain easier on and off the field.

“Thanks to the fans and all those persons who backed us from start to finish. As a proud Guyanese I retire from the game lifting this prestigious trophy and also happy that I can bring smiles to the faces of the supporters.”

Guyana produced a massive upset win over The Dominican Republic to advance to the semi-finals of the men’s team category at the 2023 Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federation Championships in Georgetown on Saturday.

The team of Shemar Britton, Elishaba Johnson, Paul David and Jonathan Van Lange combined to defeat Dom Rep 3-2 and guarantee the hosts at least a bronze medal.

Earlier, the hosts finished second in their group behind Cuba, who will take on Barbados in semi-final two after Guyana battle Puerto Rico on Saturday.

Guyana also advanced to the Women’s semi-finals after Chelsea Edgehill, Natalie Cummings, Thuraia Thomas and Jasmin Billingy combined to beat Barbados 3-0 on Friday. Cummings and Billingy won the doubles before Edgehill and Cummings both secured 3-0 singles wins. They will face Trinidad & Tobago in the semis while Barbados and Dominican Republic will contest the other semi-final.

 

The Windward Islands Volcanoes completed a dominant 181-run win over the Jamaica Scorpions on Saturday’s day four at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.

Jamaica entered day four on the brink of defeat and only one ball was needed on Saturday as Shermon Lewis dismissed Nicholson Gordon for two to complete his fourth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket and secure the win for the Windwards, with Jamaica being bowled out for 233 in 99.1 overs.

Scores: Windward Islands Volcanoes 217 off 60.3 overs (Alick Athanaze 81, Justin Greaves 50, Derval Green 5-30, Nicholson Gordon 2-26, Jamie Merchant 2-39) and 300 off 78.5 overs (Alick Athanaze 97, Kavem Hodge 82, Justin Greaves 33, Patrick Harty 3-63, Marquino Mindley 2-45, Nicholson Gordon 2-59)

Jamaica Scorpions 101 off 28.3 overs (Derval Green 33, Jamie Merchant 24, Justin Greaves 6-34, Shermon Lewis 2-29, Ryan John 2-38) and 233 off 99 overs (Aldane Thomas 55, Abhijai Mansingh 50, Derval Green 48, Shermon Lewis 5-22, Justin Greaves 2-42, Larry Edward 2-65).

 

 

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the match schedule and venues for the final three rounds of the West Indies Championship, the region’s first-class four-day red ball tournament, which will be played in Trinidad and Guyana.

Two rounds have been played so far and the tournament will resume on 15 to 18 March with Trinidad & Tobago Red Force hosting current West Indies Championship leaders, Guyana Harpy Eagles at Brian Lara Cricket Academy. The other two matches in the third round will see Leeward Islands Hurricanes face Barbados Pride at Queen’s Park Oval inTrinidad and the Jamaica Scorpions facing Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Guyana National Stadium.

The fourth round will be played from 22 to 25 March with the fifth and final round from 29 March to 1 April.

“The first two rounds of matches last month offered great excitement and we are delighted to see the resumption of the West Indies Championship. Based on what we saw in the first phase of matches, we can expect more keen competition among the six teams as they vie for the prestigious Headley/Weekes Trophy," said Roland Holder, CWI’s Manager of Cricket Operations. "There is a lot to play for as players also have the opportunity to compete for places in the Headley/Weekes Series which will follow at the end of the West Indies Championship and prepare to compete for spots on the international stage.”

Heading into the third round, Guyana Harpy Eagles lead the points table after being unbeaten in their two matches to date with defending champions Barbados Pride in second.

The new Headley Weekes Series will follow the West Indies Championship and will feature three matches and three teams. Team Headley and Team Weekes will select 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. All three matches will be played from 18 April to 6 May at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua.

RESULTS

ROUND 1

31 January to 3 February

Windward Islands Volcanoes drew with Trinidad & Tobago Red Force

1 to 4 February

Guyana Harpy Eagles beat Barbados Pride by 183 runs

Leeward Islands Hurricanes drew with Jamaica Scorpions


ROUND 2

8 to 11 February

Barbados Pride beat Jamaica Scorpions by 6 wickets

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force drew with Leeward Islands Hurricanes

Windward Islands Volcanoes drew with Guyana Harpy Eagles

FULL MATCH SCHEDULE

GNS – Guyana National Stadium, Guyana

BLCA – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad

QPO – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

ROUND 3: 15 to 18 March

Jamaica Scorpions v Windward Islands Volcanoes at GNS

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Guyana Harpy Eagles at BLCA

Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Barbados Pride at QPO

ROUND 4: 22 to 25 March

Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Jamaica Scorpions at GNS

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Barbados Pride at QPO

Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Windward Islands Volcanoes at BLCA

ROUND 5: 29 March to 1 April

Guyana Harpy Eagles v Leeward Islands Hurricanes at GNS

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Jamaica Scorpions at BLCA

Barbados Pride v Windward Islands Volcanoes at QPO

Headley Weekes Tri-Series

All matches to be played at CCG, Antigua

Match 1: 19 to 22 April: Team Headley v West Indies Academy

Match 2: 26 to 29 April: Team Weekes v West Indies Academy

Match 3: 3 to 6 May: Team Weekes v Team Headley

-ENDS-

 

The 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) generated a huge economic impact for Guyana as the country hosted the finals for the very first time as part of the newly created Cricket Carnival.

The total economic impact for Guyana in 2022 was S$84,425,587, a 186 per cent increase on the figure from the last time the country hosted Hero CPL matches in 2019.

The vision of His Excellency Irfaan Ali in showcasing the country’s many creative and social attributes whilst making the country the entertainment capital of the region for two weeks in September, led to the most successful hosting of any CPL finals.

Businesses across the country benefited from the significant uplift of in-bound tourism during September last year, as people travelled to be part of the Biggest Party in Sport. The fans certainly didn’t disappoint with almost 50,000 attending the playoff games alone.

With CPL spending more time in Guyana than previous years along with the change to the tournament structure where all six teams, TV production crew and tournament staff travelled as one cohort CPL’s direct spend increased significantly, with one metric showing a total of 25,783 hotel room nights filled across the tournament, a 236 per cent increase on the figure from 2019.

This report was generated by independent, world-renowned research company, YouGov Sport, with the make-up of the values including the total spent by Hero CPL to put on the 2022 event, the value of media exposure for the country from the broadcast of matches and the money spent with local business by those who travelled into Guyana for the tournament.

The total viewership for the 2022 Hero CPL also smashed all records as it increased to 721.8million. This is the third successive year that the tournament has generated a viewership figure of over half a billion.

“The reception for the Hero CPL in Guyana last year exceeded anything we have seen before, and we are hugely grateful for the vision of His Excellency Irfaan Ali, who masterminded the Cricket Carnival concept and showed how cricket can deliver significant economic value when planned alongside other entertainment initiatives,” said Pete Russell, Hero CPL CEO.

“We are so grateful for the amazing support we continue to receive in Guyana and are thankful that we have been able to repay the country with these fantastic numbers. We can’t wait to make an even bigger impact in 2023."

Guyana is set to build a new squash facility to enhance the country’s ability to host future international tournaments.

The new facility, which will also have doubles courts for the first time in the country's history, will be built at the National Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue in Georgetown and is funded by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport at the approximate cost of G$65 million, and should be ready for usage within six to eight months.

Minister Charles Ramson Jr. made this announcement on Saturday and members of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) and national players welcomed it with cheers after he further indicated that construction is to commence on January 9.

In detailing some of the plans, the minister revealed the building would cost approximately G$25M while the internal fittings for the courts are about G$40M.

To fast-track the process, the plan is to begin the installation of equipment at an appropriate point during construction so as not to wait until the building is finished to commence inputting the internal fittings.

Noting it is a joint effort between the National Sports Commission (NSC) and GSA, the minister firmly believes the completion of this facility will place Guyana in good standing to host Central American and Caribbean (CAC), and Pan American Championships in the near future.

“Once it is completed, we will be able to put our bids in of hosting senior games, and all of the sports we have identified as core sports, for which squash is one of them, we are looking to have the larger Championships being held here,” Ramson Jr. told the gathering.

According to Ramson Jr., the aim is to host the Senior Pan American Championships which would be a “big achievement” for Guyana and it will increase the competitive pool.

“It is important we set our targets early about what we want to do and take all of the sports and sports in general,” he lamented.

There is also the “unquantifiable factor” of inspiring the next generation to represent Guyana by being able to see top-level athletes compete in Guyana, and ideally, create a winning culture.

Additionally, Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, who had touted the construction of the courts in July as Guyana prepared to host the Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Championships, noted its importance that infrastructural development is vital to support the developing Sport Academies.

“This shows that we are doing exactly what we said we would do. I know we are speaking about squash but other disciplines will be able to have this sort of support from the government,” Ninvalle expressed.

Owen Verwey, GSA President, expressed similar by stating, “I am very much impressed that we have moved from the stage of speaking to now seeing implementation in a real form, that does not always happen but where we are going with the reality, is going to take us to a much higher level.”

Adorning that Guyana’s squash has done tremendously well within the Caribbean, this facility will help them make an impact at the international level, and it boosts their capacity to do more intense training.

Meanwhile, the minister said the works on the tennis court will soon be completed and construction will continue on the home for badminton and table tennis, with the foundation already being laid.

The National Racquet Centre opened in November 2011.

 

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