Player of the Match Jordan Johnson scored an unbeaten 40 and Joshua Bishop and Ashmead Nedd each took three wickets as the West Indies Academy defeated Emerging Ireland by seven wickets at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Sunday to level their One-Day series at a game apiece.

Chasing the tourists’ modest total of 103 made in 23.3 overs, West Indies Academy raced to 107-3 in just 15.4 overs. Johnson’s knock of 40 came from just 21 balls and included four fours and three towering sixes as he and Teddy Bishop guided the Caribbean men to an easy victory.

Bishop was not out on 32 from 25 balls when victory was achieved.

The pair helped the recover from the loss of three early wickets as openers Kadeem Alleyne and Matthew Nandu fell cheaply for 19 and nine, respectively. Leonardo Julien barely troubled the scorer making only one before Johnson and Bishop repaired the early damage and led the Academy to victory.

Fionn Hand was the best of the Irish bowlers having claimed the wickets of Nandu and Julien to finish with 2-29 from four overs.

Sent in to bat, Ireland never really got going as only middle-order batter Scott McBeth, who scored 29 and opener Stephen Doheny, who got 27, made any score of note. Fellow opener Murray Commins (16) and Gavin Honey (17) were the only batters in double figures against the bowling of Nedd, who returned figures of 3-12 and Bishop, who took 3-19.

Nyeem Young and McKenny Clarke each took two wickets.

Explosive opener Johnson Charles and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph are among seven players retained by the Saint Lucia Kings ahead of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Charles and Joseph are joined by Barbadian middle-order batsman Roston Chase, Roshon Primus, Jeavor Royal, Matthew Forde and McKenny Clarke. The Kings have also secured the services of Khary Pierre who has been transferred to the team from the Trinbago Knight Riders.

The tournament gets underway on 16 August with the final taking place on 24 September. There will be matches in Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.

The overseas players and draft picks will be announced during the Republic Bank CPL draft show which will be broadcast at the end of June 2023.

Half-centuries Zachary McCaskie, Brandon King, Jahmar Hamilton and Kevin Sinclair have put Weekes XI in a strong position of 365-7 against West Indies Academy on the opening day of their Headley Weekes Tri-Series match at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Wednesday.

West Indies Academy fresh off their seven-wicket victory over Headley XI last week, won the toss and asked Weekes XI to bat. Tagenarine Chanderpaul and McCaskie laid a solid platform with an opening stand of 55.

However, Chanderpaul was then trapped leg before by Nyeem Young for 25, triggering a minor slide during which Kacey Carty was caught behind by Tevin Imlach for 12 off McKenny Clarke, who dismissed Alick Athanaze in similar fashion for a duck in his next over as Weekes XI slipped from 55 without loss to 82-3.

However, McCaskie and Brandon King put an end to the bloodletting with a fourth-wicket partnership of 136 in 35 overs that resurrected the innings. McCaskie would fall short of a deserved 100 when Kirk McKenzie had him caught by Ackeem Auguste for 93.

King continued on to 92 during a partnership of 39 with Jahmar Hamilton but then he became the third victim of the Imlach/Clarke combination to miss out on his century.

Hamilton than stitched together a stand of 74 with Kevin Sinclair but then was dismissed by Nyeem Young for 57. Sinclair soldiered on putting on 23 with Dominic Drakes who made 13 before he lost his wicket to Kevin Wickham for 13.

Sinclair will resume on 52 on Thursday with Veerasammy Permaul at the other end with the intention of taking Weekes XI past 400.

Clarke was the best bowler on the day with 3-91 while Young took 2-75.