CWI U17: Barbados crush Jamaica by innings and 48 runs

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Barbados and the Windward Islands jumped to the top of the table of the CWI Under-17 Championships when they predictably won their opening-rounds matches here Thursday.

Playing at the National Cricket Centre, Barbados recorded the day’s largest margin of victory by crushing Jamaica by an innings and 48 runs.

Resuming from their overnight total of 189-4 in response to Jamaica’s first innings total of 103, Joshua Branch led Barbados with 84 before they opted to declare on 236-7 with a healthy lead of 133.

Facing an uphill battle to save the match, Jamaica were undone in the early stages by spinner Zachary Carter, who dismissed openers Savio Jones and Tyriek Bryan cheaply to leave them in early trouble at 24-2.

It was a position they would never recover from, as Jakeem Pollard (3-6), Carter (2-9), R’Jai Gittens (2-13) and Xaundre Baptiste (2-20), struck at regular intervals to bowl their side to an easy win.

Over at Gilbert Park, the Windward Islands defeated Leeward Islands by 71 runs on the back of a five-wicket haul by Cody Fontenelle.

Beginning the day with a 70-run first innings lead, the Windward Islands failed to fire in their second innings and eventually declared on 101-7, setting their opponents a target of 171 for victory.

But, for the second successive innings, the Leeward Islands crumbled with the bat, with only three batsmen getting into double digits.

From a position of 49-2, the Leeward Islands lost seven wickets for just 40 runs, with Fontenelle grabbing 5-33, to crumble to 89-9 and effectively seal their fate.

And, despite an outstanding bowling performance by Guyana’s Romario Ramdeholl at Inshan Ali Park, their match against Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) petered out into a tame draw. Ramdeholl picked up his second six-wicket haul of the match to end with the spectacular figures of 12-100.

Earlier, Guyana conceded a slim first innings lead of 17 after being dismissed for 183 in reply to T&T’s 200.

Needing to make quick inroads into T&T’s batting to have any chance of victory, Guyana was frustrated by their opponents, despite Ramdeholl’s 6-62, and T&T eventually declared at 151-9.

With no chance of Guyana making a successful run chase, the game was eventually called off with them on 31-2.