The four teams to make the playoffs of the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) may have been decided but that did not stop the Barbados Royals and St Lucia Kings slugging it out in Providence with bragging rights and momentum all to be played for.

Both sides have booked their place in the 2024 CPL Playoffs along with Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Trinbago Knight Riders and there was only NRR to split them ahead of the match with both sides winning five of their seven matches and losing two to sit on ten points apiece.

Royals captain Rovman Powell won the toss and elected to field first but his bowlers struggled to make as much impact as they’ve been used to throughout the tournament so far. Nevertheless, Royals wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock showcased his lightning quick hands to get rid of Faf du Plessis and Roston Chase, both stumped off Maharaj and Theekshana respectively as the Kings chipped away.

Johnson Charles played some muscular sweep shots to clear the boundary rope, top scoring with 53 runs off 42 balls, he was supported by Ackeem Auguste with 35 off 32 before the latter had to retire hurt. Tim Seifert then struck a late flurry of boundaries to get the Kings to the highest total scored at Providence in this year’s competition – 162-3 would take some chasing.

The Royals stellar batting card got off to a flier in response – reaching 56 without loss before Alzarri Joseph got rid of the dangerous de Kock for 22 off 13 balls. Kadeem Alleyne had actually been the main aggressor for the Royals, particularly in the third over when he smashed three consecutive sixes off Roston Chase. The Kings then struck back by picking up both Rahkeem Cornwall and Rovman Powell cheaply

Royals reached 100/4 in the 13th over before Noor Ahmed stitched together a maiden to an increasingly frustrated David Miller in the 14th which left the Royals needing to hit 63 runs off the last 36 balls.

Miller atoned for his sluggish strike rate by bunting two boundaries in the next over but was caught at cover by du Plessis for 21 off 22 balls trying to find the fence again as the runs per over required climbed ever higher.

Alick Athanaze and Nyeem Young both fell in the latter stages to leave Royals needing 21 off the last over with Jason Holder and Maheesh Theekshana at the crease. Theekshana got a single off the first ball to get Holder on strike, an edge for four followed to keep Royals in the hunt. David Wiese then got the crucial breakthrough as Holder holed out to Khary Pierre on the long off boundary. Wiese held his nerve at the last to see Kings claim the victory by 13 runs.

The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) squads for the 2024 season have been confirmed following the completion of the player draft on Monday.

Kyle Mayers was the first pick of the draft, joining the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. He will be joined at the Patriots by Mikyle Louis, Ryan John and Veerasammy Permaul. 

The Saint Lucia Kings welcome USA international Aaron Jones who qualifies to play at the CPL as a local player as he has a Barbados passport. The Kings have also selected Khari Campbell, Johann Jeremiah, Mikkel Govia and Akeem Auguste. 

The Barbados Royals have picked Kadeem Alleyne, Isai Thorne and Nathan Sealy to complete their squad while the Guyana Amazon Warriors have selected all-rounders Raymon Reifer and Ronaldo Alimohamed. Matthew Nandu also rejoins the Warriors having been selected in the draft. 

The Antigua & Barbuda Falcons picked five players at the draft with Roshon Primus, Justin Greaves, Jahmar Hamilton, Teddy Bishop and Kofi James joining the newest CPL team. The Trinbago Knight Riders selected Nathan Edward and Shaquere Parris in their emerging player spots.

The 2024 season gets underway on the 29 August with the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons taking on the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium. The tournament will also visit St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana. 

The full squads are as follows:

Barbados Royals: Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, David Miller, Quinton De Kock, Maheesh Theekshana, Alick Athanaze, Naveen-ul-Haq, Obed McCoy, Kevin Wickham, Keshav Maharaj, Kadeem Alleyne, Rahkeem Cornwall, Isai Thorne, Nathan Sealy, Nyeem Young, Rivaldo Clarke, Ramon Simmonds

Guyana Amazon Warriors: Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Saim Ayub, Shai Hope, Romario Shepherd, Azam Khan, Gudakesh Motie, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Keemo Paul, Dwaine Pretorius, Kevin Sinclair, Raymon Reifer, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Shamar Joseph, Kevlon Anderson, Matthew Nandu, Junior Sinclair

Antigua & Barbuda Falcons: Imad Wasim, Brandon King, Fabian Allen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Amir, Chris Green, Fakhar Zaman, Roshon Primus, Justin Greaves, Hayden Walsh, Jahmar Hamilton, Teddy Bishop, Kofi James, Shamar Springer, Kelvin Pitman, Jewel Andrew, Joshua James

St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots: Kyle Mayers, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rilee Rossouw, Sherfane Rutherford, Evin Lewis, Sikandar Raza, Nuwan Thushara, Andre Fletcher, Tristan Stubbs, Dominic Drakes, Odean Smith, Mikyle Louis, Joshua Da Silva, Veerasammy Permaul, Ryan John, Ashmead Nedd, Johann Layne

Saint Lucia Kings: Heinrich Klaasen, Faf Du Plessis, Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Noor Ahmad, David Wiese, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Matthew Forde, Aaron Jones, Khary Pierre, Khari Campbell, Johann Jeremiah, Shadrack Descarte, Mikkel Govia, McKenny Clarke, Akeem Auguste

Trinbago Knight Riders: Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Tim David, Akeal Hosein, Jason Roy, Dwayne Bravo, Josh Little, Waqar Salamkheil, Jayden Seales, Ali Khan, Mark Deyal, Keacy Carty, Terrence Hinds, Nathan Edward, Shaquere Parris

Emerging Ireland completed a 2-0 sweep of their four-day games against the West Indies Academy with a 10-wicket win at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Friday.

The Academy entered day four 148-3 off 28 overs, needing a further 93 runs to make their Irish counterparts have to chase a target.

The tourists were eventually bowled out for 268 in 73.3 overs, leaving Emerging Ireland needing just 28 to win.

Ackeem Auguste, who started the day 70*, was eventually dismissed for a 154-ball 93 including 14 fours while Carlon Bowen-Tuckett made 41 against 5-44 off 17 overs from Matthew Humphreys.

The hosts then needed only 3.5 overs to reach 30-0 with James McCollum and Andrew Balbirnie finishing 14* and 13*, respectively.

Full Scores:

West Indies Academy 200 off 56 overs (Teddy Bishop 69, Nyeem Young 29, Jewel Andrew 27, Ackeem Auguste 26, Matthew Humphreys 5-57, Curtis Campher 3-12) & 268 all out off 73.3 overs (Ackeem Auguste 93, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 41, Kadeem Alleyne 38, Matthew Humphreys 5-44)

Emerging Ireland 441 all out off 112.5 overs (Andrew Balbirnie 88, Fionn Hand 79, Andy McBrine 64, Paul Stirling 32, Teddy Bishop 2-35, Nyeem Young 2-55, Kelvin Pittman 2-65, Joshua Bishop 2-72) & 30-0 off 3.5 overs

Emerging Ireland are firmly in the driver’s seat at stumps on day three of their second four-day encounter against the West Indies Academy at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Thursday.

At stumps on day three, the West Indies Academy were 148-3 off 28 overs, trailing their Irish counterparts by 93 runs in their second innings.

Ackeem Auguste ended the day 70* off 91 balls including 11 fours while opening partner Kadeem Alleyne contributed a run-a-ball 38 including five fours and a six.

Earlier, the hosts were dismissed for 441 in 112.5 overs after starting the day 397-7 off 103 overs.

Fionn Hand, who started day three on 61* ended up being dismissed for 79.

The bulk of the Irish run scoring came from captain Andrew Balbirnie who hit 88 off 134 balls on Wednesday. He was well supported by Andy McBrine who hit 64 and James McCollum who hit 40. 

Kelvin Pittman, Nyeem Young, Joshua Bishop and captain Teddy Bishop all took two wickets, each.

The Academy were dismissed for 200 in their first innings after winning the toss and batting first on Tuesday.

Teddy Bishop was the main scorer in that batting effort with 69 while Nyeem Young (29), Jewel Andrew (27) and Ackeem Auguste (26) all got starts.

Full Scores:

West Indies Academy 200 off 56 overs (Teddy Bishop 69, Nyeem Young 29, Jewel Andrew 27, Ackeem Auguste 26, Matthew Humphreys 5-57, Curtis Campher 3-12) & 148-3 off 28 overs (Ackeem Auguste 70*, Kadeem Alleyne 38)

Emerging Ireland 441 all out off 112.5 overs (Andrew Balbirnie 88, Fionn Hand 79, Andy McBrine 64, James McCollum 40, Paul Stirling 32, Teddy Bishop 2-35, Nyeem Young 2-55, Kelvin Pittman 2-65, Joshua Bishop 2-72)

The Jamaica Scorpions will need 234 to win on day four of their 2024 West Indies Championship fourth round fixture against the West Indies Academy at Sabina Park.

The hosts began Friday’s day three 326-7 off 82 overs, leading by two runs with Peat Salmon (60*) and Derval Green (25*) at the crease.

They ended up adding a further 46 runs in 26.2 overs to finish 372 all out, leading by 48 runs.

Salmon added 21 to his overnight score to end up top scoring with 81 off 198 balls including eight fours and one six while Green ended up making a 38-ball 35.

Joshua Bishop was the pick of the Academy bowlers with 6-96 from his 33.2 overs.

The Academy were then bowled out for 281 in 74.1 overs leaving the Scorpions needing 234 to win on Saturday.

Carlon Bowen-Tuckett faced 132 balls for his 53 while Kadeem Alleyne got his second fifty of the contest with 52 off just 41 balls including six fours and three sixes.

Joshua James, Ashmead Nedd and Jordan Johnson also chipped in with 36, 30 and 26, respectively.

Abhijai Mansingh led the bowling for the hosts in the second innings with 4-70 off 14 overs while Peat Salmon provided good support with 3-55 from 24 overs.

Full Scores: West Indies Academy 324 all out off 82 overs (Joshua Dorne 83, Jordan Johnson 61, Kadeem Alleyne 52, Joshua James 36, Ojay Shields 3-28, Derval Green 3-38) & 218 all out off 74.1 overs (Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 53, Kadeem Alleyne 52, Joshua James 36, Ashmead Nedd 30, Abhijai Mansingh 4-70, Peat Salmon 3-55)

Jamaica Scorpions 372 all out off 108.1 overs (Peat Salmon 81, Brandon King 77, Leroy Lugg 64, Derval Green 35, Carlos Brown 33, Kirk McKenzie 29, Joshua Bishop 6-96, Kadeem Alleyne 2-29)

The Emerging Ireland Team produced an excellent display with the ball to hand the West Indies Academy a 26-run loss in the opening game of their three-match 50-Over series at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua on Friday.

The Irish were first bowled out for 245 in 49.1 overs after winning the toss and batting first.

Opener Murray Commins batted beautifully to finish 118* off 129 balls to lead Emerging Ireland. His knock included 14 fours and a six.

Most of the other established batsmen in the side didn’t manage to do much damage before Tom Mayes, batting at number 10, was able to hit a 46-ball 51 including a pair of fours and three sixes.

Joshua Bishop led the way with the ball for the West Indies Academy with 4-45 from his 10 overs of left-arm spin while Kevin Wickham and Johann Layne took two wickets, each.

The Academy chase started well, with them reaching 117-1 in 20 overs before a collapse followed.

The hosts went from 117-1 to 152-6 in the space of just seven overs before eventually being bowled out for 219 in 41.4 overs.

Openers Matthew Nandu (59) and Kadeem Alleyne (42) were the main scorers for the Academy while Junior Sinclair (35) and Leonardo Julien (28) also scored well.

Off-spinner Scott MacBeth and leg-spinner Gavin Hoey were the main wicket-takers for Emerging Ireland with 3-33 from nine overs and 3-43 from 10 overs, respectively.

The second 50-Over game is scheduled for Sunday at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.

Final Scores

Emerging Ireland 245 off 49.1 overs (Murray Commins 118*, Tom Mayes 51, Gavin Hoey 25, Joshua Bishop 4-45, Kevin Wickham 2-50, Johann Layne 2-52)

West Indies Academy 219 off 41.4 overs (Matthew Nandu 59, Kadeem Alleyne 42, Junior Sinclair 35, Leonardo Julien 28, Scott MacBeth 3-33, Gavin Hoey 3-43)

Both Guyana Harpy Eagles and Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) would feel hard done, as rain forced a no-result in their CG United Super50 Cup at the Frank Worrell Memorial Ground on Wednesday.

The contest, which saw the Harpy Eagles posting a paltry 177, was evenly poised to go either way, as CCC's reply was at 86-5 when the heavens opened. 

Prior to the weather, Tevin Imlach led the Harpy Eagles batting with a well-played 80 off 105 balls. His knock included four boundaries and a six, while Tagenarine Chanderpaul was the next best scorer with 30. Akshaya Persaud, 2-23 and Shatrughan Rambaran, 2-27, were the pick of the CCC bowlers.

CCC in their turn at bat, also found the going tough, with the aggressive Kadeem Alleyne being the only batsman to show any real resistance at that point.

Alleyne struck five sixes and two fours in a 27-ball 47. Kevin Sinclair, 3-39, did the damage for Harpy Eagles.

Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 177 all out (48.1 overs); CCC 86-5 (15 overs)

Both Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) were left ruing what could have been, as rain forced a no-result in their opening CG United Super50 Cup game at Queen’s Park Oval on Tuesday.

Batting first in the contest which was initially reduced to 44 overs per side, Red Force posted 246 for four from their allotment, with captain Darren Bravo leading from the front with an unbeaten 81. Bravo's 84-ball knock included eight boundaries and two sixes, as he played a hand in some useful partnerships.

Red Force lost open Tion Webster (one) cheaply, but Kjorn Ottley (16) and wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva steadied the innings with a 60-run second-wicket stand.

When Ottley fell, Da Silva and Bravo tried to maintain the tempo, but their combination only lasted 26 runs, before Da Silva went caught for a well-played 50-ball 48, which included nine fours.

Bravo found another steady partner in Jason Mohammed, as the two added another 88 runs for the fourth wicket. Mohammed smashed four boundaries and a solitary six in his knock of 43 off 61 balls, before being caught by Shaqkere Parris off Abhijai Mansingh.

Yannic Cariah, with an unbeaten 31, joined Bravo to add a further 66 runs to what seemed a competitive total, given their bowling attack. No CCC bowler took more than one wicket.

In reply, CCC's openers Kadeem Alleyne, 27 not out and Johann Jeremiah, 25 not out, played with poise and confidence, as they took aim at the target, before the rain intervened.

Scores: T&T Red Force 246-4 (44 overs); CCC 53-0 (6.4 overs)