Academy stun Pride to hand Harpy Eagles title

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

OPENERS RASHAWN Worrell and Kadeem Alleyne struck contrasting but critical half-centuries as West Indies Academy produced a clinical run chase to stun Barbados Pride by three wickets and return the regional first-class title to Guyana Harpy Eagles at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua yesterday.

Set 219 to win on a dramatic final day of the final round of matches in the West Indies Championship, the Academy got over the line late in the final session, destroying Pride’s hopes of overtaking Harpy Eagles, especially with previous leaders Windward Islands Volcanoes drawing with Leeward Islands Hurricanes in Port of Spain.

The defending champions, in third place at the start of the final round, had placed themselves in pole position for the title on Friday when they defeated Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners by eight wickets to end on 103.8 points.

Pride had their chances to make the game closer but failed to take them, Johann Layne (four not out) dropped at short mid-wicket off off-spinning captain Kraigg Brathwaite with three runs needed for victory.

Off the next delivery, Layne skied to long off and scampered a couple to level the scores before pulling a leg-side delivery behind square for a single, to give the Academy their third win of the campaign.

The victory was orchestrated by Worrell and Alleyne, the pair posting 85 for the first wicket to deny Pride any early success.

Worrell faced 137 deliveries and struck seven fours and a six in a patient 63 while Alleyne punched a near run-a-ball 52 off 53 deliveries, with three fours and three sixes, in an entertaining knock.

It meant the Academy reached lunch on 43 without loss and tea on 111 for two, as Pride struggled for wickets.

Alleyne was controversially given out caught down the leg-side off fast bowler Shaquille Cumberbatch and Ackeem Auguste fell half-hour before tea for 14, recklessly holing out in the deep off left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican (3-62).

Left-hander Worrell then put on 31 for the third wicket with Teddy Bishop before he was fifth out, edging behind in Brathwaite’s (3-28) second over, with the Academy on 164 for five and still requiring a further 55 runs for victory.

When Joshua Bishop was lbw to Brathwaite for five at 174 for six, the tide appeared to be turning in Pride’s favour but 20-year-old Carlon Bowen-Tuckett kept his nerves in an unbeaten 27 which served as the anchor of a 40-run seventh-wicket stand with Ashmead Nedd (20) to hold the chase together.

Earlier, Pride were dismissed for 308 after resuming their second innings on 228 for five, left-hander Raymon Reifer converting his overnight 43 into an unbeaten 82 off 160 balls with four fours and a six.

He extended his sixth-wicket stand with Demetrius Richards (47) to 71 before the last five wickets tumbled for just 20 runs, with left-arm spinner Nedd (3-80) and fast bowler McKenny Clarke (2-59) scything through the tail.