The Barbados Pride, defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles and the Windward Islands Volcanoes all look set to close out round three of the 2024 West Indies Championship with outright wins while the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force are locked in an interesting battle with the Leeward Islands Hurricanes ahead of Saturday’s fourth and final day.

First at Sabina Park where the Pride had the Jamaica Scorpions reeling in their second innings at 220-8 off 63 overs at stumps, a lead of just 100 runs.

The Pride had earlier amassed 389 all out off 120 overs after starting the day 315-6. Kraigg Brathwaite, who entered Friday 129* wound up making 142 while Shane Dowrich finished with 44 after entering the day 19*.

Derval Green ended up with 4-78 off 31 overs while Peat Salmon picked up 3-94 from 34 overs for the hosts.

Jamaica’s second innings saw a number of batsmen get off to good starts but none were able to get a big score. Abhijai Mansingh has led the way with 54, his fourth first-class fifty, while Leroy Lugg (43), Kirk McKenzie (39) and Carlos Brown (35) also chipped in.

Debutant Shaquille Cumberbatch has led the charge with the ball for the Pride with 4-22 off nine overs while Kevin Wickham has picked up 2-26 from seven overs.

Full Scores: Jamaica Scorpions 269 all out off 78.4 overs (Romaine Morris 97*, Carlos Brown 40, Kirk McKenzie 40, Jomel Warrican 5-62, Jair McAllister 3-69) & 220-8 off 63 overs (Abhijai Mansingh 54, Leroy Lugg 43, Kirk McKenzie 39, Carlos Brown 35, Shaquille Cumberbatch 4-22, Kevin Wickham 2-26)

Barbados Pride 389 all out off 120 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 142, Kevin Wickham 63, Shane Dowrich 44, Jonathan Drakes 31, Derval Green 4-78, Peat Salmon 3-94)

Elsewhere in Jamaica, at Chedwin Park in St. Catherine to be exact, the Combined Campuses and Colleges ended day three 271-6 in their second innings, leading the Windward Islands Volcanoes by just 80 runs.

The Windwards, after entering Friday 359-8 off 100 overs, went on to post an imposing 395 all out off 105.4 overs in their first innings.

Kavem Hodge, who entered the day 131*, carried his bat through the innings on his way to a career best 158* off 251 balls including 16 fours and a six.

Romario Greaves ended up with 5-142 off 38 overs for the CCC.

With the bat, Jonathan Carter almost got his second century of the season, being dismissed for 94 to lead the CCC second innings scoring, so far.

Greaves, who is having a fine all-round showing, ended day three on 62* off 117 balls including five fours and two sixes.

Earlier, opener Damel Evelyn followed up his 43 in the first innings with 56 in the second.

Shamar Springer has taken 2-33 in 13 overs for the Volcanoes.

Full Scores: Combined Campuses & Colleges 204 all out off 71.3 overs (Demario Richards 46, Damel Evelyn 43, Darel Cyrus 6-72, Gilon Tyson 3-32) & 271-6 off 81 overs (Jonathan Carter 94, Romario Greaves 62*, Damel Evelyn 56, Shamar Springer 2-33)

Windward Islands Volcanoes 395 all out off 105.4 overs (Kavem Hodge 158*, Sunil Ambris 120, Romario Greaves 5-142, Jediah Blades 2-35, Govasta Edmond 2-54)

Moving to the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua where the defending champions, Guyana Harpy Eagles, are on the brink of a dominant victory over the West Indies Academy.

The Harpy Eagles entered Friday 165-5 off 65 overs, leading the Academy by 178 runs. They went on to pile up a massive 415-7 declared leaving the Academy needing a massive 429 to win.

Kevin Sinclair, the hero with the ball in the first innings, led the way with a magnificent 165* off 182 balls, his first century in first-class cricket, including 26 fours. Kemol Savory also batted well for a 68-ball 58 including eight fours and a six.

Ronaldo Ali Mohamed and Veerasammy Permaul also provided useful cameos at the end of the innings with 318 and 29*, respectively.

Ashmead Nedd was the pick of the bowlers for the Academy with 5-97 off 45 overs.

At stumps, the Academy reached 161-7 off 40 overs, needing a further 268 runs for victory on Saturday.

West Indies Under-19 representative Jordan Johnson led the way with 54 against 3-32 off eight overs from Isai Thorne, who also represented the West Indies at the recently concluded ICC U-19 World Cup in South Africa. Sinclair has also picked up 2-30 from 11 overs in the second innings.

Full Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 175 all out off 54.3 overs (Ronaldo Ali Mohamed 30, Matthew Nandu 28, Joshua James 4-43, Johann Layne 2-27, Joshua Bishop 2-31) & 415-7 dec. off 112.1 overs (Kevin Sinclair 165*, Kemol Savory 58, Kevlon Anderson 49, Ashmead Nedd 5-97)

West Indies Academy 162 all out off 49 overs (Rashawn Worrell 58, Joshua Bishop 51, Kevin Sinclair 4-45, Veerasammy Permaul 3-15, Gudakesh Motie 3-31) & 161-7 off 40 overs (Jordan Johnson 54, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 34, Isai Thorne 3-32, Kevin Sinclair 2-30)

Finally, we go to Warner Park in St. Kitts where the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force were 285-6 at stumps on day three, leading the Leeward Islands Hurricanes by 104 runs.

The Red Force entered the day 48-0 off 18 overs replying to the Hurricanes first innings total of 318.

Jyd Goolie continued his good form with the bat this season with 64 to lead the Red Force charge so far.

Jason Mohammed (49), Tion Webster (38), Cephas Cooper (36), Terrance Hinds (34) and Captain Joshua Da Silva (32) all got starts but weren’t able to carry on to a big score.

Rakheem Cornwall has led the Hurricanes bowling do far with 3-56 off 29 overs while Jeremiah Louis has picked up 2-70 from 18 overs.

Full Scores: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 137 all out off 60.2 overs (Jyd Goolie 30, Collin Archibald 3-28, Jeremiah Louis 3-38, Rakheem Cornwall 2-5, Daniel Doram 2-32) & 285-6 off 108 overs (Jyd Goolie 64, Jason Mohammed 49, Tion Webster 38, Cephas Cooper 36, Terrance Hinds 34, Joshua Da Silva 32, Rakheem Cornwall 3-56)

Leeward Islands Hurricanes 318 all out off 98.2 overs (Jewel Andrew 87, Kieran Powell 65, Jeremiah Louis 41, Mikyle Louis 32, Anderson Phillip 4-62, Brian Charles 3-81)

The West Indies Championship second-round clash between the Guyana Harpy Eagles and the West Indies Academy remains finely poised at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. As the match heads into a crucial phase on Friday, the Harpy Eagles, having posted 175 in their first innings, find themselves at 165-5 in their second innings, holding a lead of 178 runs with five second innings wickets still in hand.

The West Indies Academy, resuming from their overnight score of 96-4, battled their way to a total of 162. Rashawn Worrell, who stood on 34 overnight, displayed patience and resilience to contribute 58 runs. Joshua Bishop complemented the effort with a half-century, scoring 51, before the remaining wickets fell relatively cheaply. Gudakesh Motie claimed 3-31, and Veerasammy Permaul proved economical with figures of 3-15, providing the Harpy Eagles with a narrow advantage. Kevin Sinclair, who had taken the first four wickets, ended with figures of 4-45.

Despite the slim lead of just 13 runs, the Harpy Eagles owed their second innings score to a substantial contribution of 49 from Kevlon Anderson. Tagenarine Chanderpaul (29), Matthew Nandu (19), and Tevin Imlach (22) each got starts but failed to capitalize on them.

As the Harpy Eagles aim to build on their marginal advantage, Kemol Savory will resume on 20, and Sinclair on 16. The spotlight will be on Ashmead Nedd, who has been effective with the ball, having taken 4-27 from 26 overs. Nedd will be eager to add to his tally and restrict the Harpy Eagles on a challenging batting pitch.

With both teams eager to gain the upper hand, the Coolidge Cricket Ground is set for an enthralling day of cricket, where every run and wicket will be crucial in determining the outcome of this closely contested West Indies Championship match.

The West Indies Championship second-round encounter between Guyana Harpy Eagles and West Indies Academy is set for an intriguing battle as play resumes on Thursday at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. The match remains finely poised, with both teams showing resilience in their performances.

As the West Indies Academy prepares to continue from their overnight score of 96-4 in response to the Harpy Eagles' total of 175 all out, the balance of the game hangs in the air. Wednesday's play saw Joshua James emerging as the standout player, securing figures of 4-43 to limit Guyana to a total below 200. Johann Layne (2-27) and Joshua Bishop (2-22) also played crucial roles in restricting the Harpy Eagles' batsmen, preventing any significant contributions.

For the Harpy Eagles, RJ Ali Mohammed top-scored with 30, while Matthew Nandu and the duo of Tevin Imlach and Kevin Sinclair each chipped in with scores of 28 and 24, respectively. Despite their efforts, none of the Guyana batters managed to make a substantial impact on the scoreboard.

The West Indies Academy faced a similar challenge when they took to the crease, with Rashawn Worrell leading the scorers with an unbeaten 34. Joshua Bishop will resume his innings on 33, and the pair aims to put their team in a commanding position as play continues on Thursday.

Notably, Kevin Sinclair's impressive bowling performance of 4-32 has played a pivotal role in keeping Guyana in the game.