Hayden Walsh scored a timely unbeaten half-century to lead the Leeward Islands Hurricanes to a two-wicket victory over the CWI Emerging Players Academy in the Super50 warm-up match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Sunday.

Walsh struck a 67-ball 53 that included five fours as the Hurricanes, chasing 239, reached 242-8 from 49 hours. The leg-spinner featured in a 54-run seventh-wicket partnership with Jahmar Hamilton, who scored 36 from 37 balls as the Leewards recovered from 93-6.

After Hamilton was dismissed, Walsh and Jeremiah Louis added a further 38 for the eighth-wicket before the latter was dismissed for 24 and the Leewards still 53 runs shy of the target. However, Walsh found a more than useful partner in Colin Archibald, who remained unbeaten on 27 at the end.

Johan Layne took 2-29 and Kevin Wickham 2-47 for the CWI Emerging Players.

Earlier, Teddy Bishop scored a mature 77 in the Emerging Players 238 all out. Wickham contributed 47 with Ackeem Auguste and Leonardo Julien chipping in with 20 apiece.

Bishop and Julien shared in a 78-run second-wicket partnership after Louis had dismissed Kirk McKenzie for eight. He followed up with a third-wicket stand of 68 with Wickham that was broken for Kofi James, who also took the wickets of Auguste and Joshua Bishop to return figures of 4-26.

Terrence Warde took 3-42 while Karima Gore took 2-40.

Five-wicket hauls from off-spinner Jamie Merchant and medium pacer Derval Green propelled the Jamaica Scorpions to their first win of the 2022 West Indies Championship, defeating the Windward Islands Volcanoes by an innings and 14 runs on Friday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.

The Volcanoes resumed on 101-3 with captain Kavem Hodge (30) and Ackeem Auguste (0) at the crease needing to score 209 to overhaul their first innings deficit of 209 runs.

The pair added a further 26 before Auguste became Merchant’s first scalp of the day for 11.

First innings half-centurion Keron Cottoy joined his captain and the pair put on 36 before Merchant dismissed Cottoy for 21 to leave the Volcanoes struggling at 163-5.

The popular cricket phrase “one brings two” was in full effect as just two balls later, Merchant removed wicketkeeper/batsman Denis Smith for a duck to leave the Volcanoes 163-6.

In the midst of the carnage, Hodge brought up a well-played half century before being the seventh wicket to fall, dismissed by Green for 63 as the Volcanoes slumped to 173-7.

Sherman Lewis (6), Preston McSween (4) and Josh Thomas (0) were the final three wickets to fall as Merchant and Green mopped up the tail to secure the massive win for the Scorpions.

Merchant, who scored 58 when the Scorpions batted, followed up with 5-72 from 28 overs to cap a fine all-round performance while Green ended with 5-46 from 18.2 overs.

Final scores: Windward Islands Volcanoes 137 and 195, Jamaica Scorpions 346.

West Indies Under-19 captain Ackeem Auguste says the team is confident ahead of the start of the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup on Friday.

West Indies U-19s will open their bid to capture their first title since the 2016 edition when they face Australia Under-19s at Providence Stadium in Guyana.

“I think we’re fairly confident. We’ve prepared very well as a unit and did our own personal training so I think going into the game, it’s important that we stick to the basics for as long as possible and just enjoy it,” Auguste said, speaking to the media on Thursday.

The captain also expressed the sentiment that the unity of the squad is good heading into the tournament.

“I think the camaraderie amongst the boys is very good. We’re gelling well as a unit,” he said.

When asked about the plans for the game against Australia on Friday, Auguste again emphasized sticking to the basics as much as possible.

“The plan is to just stick to the basics for as long as possible, encourage each other, pull each other along, and just play the game hard,” he added.

Cricket West Indies has named a 15-member squad and five reserves to contest the ICC Under 19 World Cup to be held in the West Indies from January 14 to February 5, 2022.

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Selection Panel today announced an 18-member West Indies U19 squad for the upcoming tour of England.

Ackeem Auguste hit his second century in a row as he continued his dominance in the Cricket West Indies Rising Stars U19 High-Performance camp. The tall left-hander made 127 on Thursday at the Coolidge Cricket Ground to follow up his 104 last Saturday at the same venue.

He joined Rivaldo Clarke as the other batsman to make two centuries in the ongoing preparations for the upcoming tour of England.

Auguste found the middle of the bat from the start of his innings as his side made 312 off 46.3 overs after they decided to bat first on another very good batting surface. He sustained a blow to the helmet but recovered to hit 19 glorious fours and three sixes off just 91 balls. After reaching triple figures he motored along with his last 27 runs coming off just 10 deliveries. He shared a solid partnership of 79 with Clarke who made 40 off 37 balls, and another of 107 with left-hander Anderson Mahase, who scored 37 off 38 balls, with six boundaries and two sixes – which took the score from 165-5 to 272-6.

In the second half, the strongly-built Giovonte Depeiza struck some massive shots as he cleared the boundary with ease. The skipper smashed four towering sixes and four fours in a run-a-ball 83 before he was out off the third ball of the final over. His team made 263-8 off their 50 overs. Depeiza and opener Shaq Parris saved the innings after they slipped to 68-4 in the 20th over. They added 78 in 13 overs for the fifth wicket before Parris was unfortunately run out for 58 off 94 balls, which included five boundaries, which came mainly from fluent drives through the off-side.

Later, wicket-keeper Carlon Bowen-Tuckett made 45 from 32 balls with a flurry of powerful hits into the on-side but he fell bowled attempting another maximum. He became the third wicket for off-spinner Onaje Amaory, who was again the best bowler with 3-35 off his 10 overs. He was well supported by six-foot-six-inch new ball bowler Johann Layne, who 3-63 off his 10 overs.

The West Indies Rising Stars U19s High-Performance Camp is a key part of CWI’s investment in developing and preparing the players for the ICC U19 World Cup to be hosted by Cricket West Indies from January 4 to February 3, 2022. The West Indies Rising Stars U19 tour of England will feature six Youth One-Day Internationals at The County Ground, Beckenham and The Polo Farm, Canterbury from Saturday, September 4 to Friday, September 17.