Hercules blames batting failure for Harpy Eagles’ title loss

Defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) were left ruing missed opportunities and an underwhelming batting display after Trinidad and Tobago Red Force dethroned them to claim the 2026 West Indies Four-Day Championship title with a commanding 141-run victory at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Wednesday.
Head Coach Ryan Hercules admitted that Trinidad and Tobago were the better team across the contest and deserved their triumph, which ended a two-decade wait for regional four-day glory.
“I must say well done to them,” Hercules said following the defeat. “Obviously they didn’t get a title in about 20 years now, and I think they outplayed us. They played good cricket throughout the game.”
Hercules revealed that Guyana’s strategy entering the contest was to secure crucial first-innings points, but the batting unit failed to execute in either inning. The coach pointed to the early collapse in the second innings as a decisive moment that placed the Harpy Eagles firmly on the back foot.
“Our plan was to get a first innings point, and I was asking the batters to get a job done, which didn’t happen in the first or second innings,” he explained. “Losing two or three wickets so early would have put us under pressure, and it became difficult asking the lower order to chase over 200 runs.”

The Harpy Eagles’ batting line-up, which had shown promise during the tournament, failed to produce the maturity and discipline required in a championship decider, according to Hercules.
“I think the batters didn’t take up the role properly. They didn’t play responsible cricket knowing it was a big game, a final,” the coach stated. “You needed guys to go out there and show maturity and play the cricket we normally play.”
Clearly disappointed with the display, Hercules described the performance as one of the team’s poorest with the bat in recent times and challenged his players to reflect deeply on their future ambitions in first-class cricket.
“This is probably one of our worst batting performances in quite some time,” he admitted. “No one is to blame but ourselves. The players now have to reflect on where they want to be in first-class cricket and how they approach games of this magnitude.”
The coach also noted that his side struggled to adjust after facing the Windward Islands attack during previous rounds before coming up against a much stronger Trinidad and Tobago bowling unit in the final.
“We had Windwards for three games, and then it shifted to Trinidad, which was a bit tougher,” Hercules said. “The guys didn’t really adapt as well to the different bowling attack in this game. I don’t want to make excuses, but it was a poor overall performance from the batting department.”
Despite the disappointment, Hercules reserved praise for the Harpy Eagles bowling unit, which he believes performed admirably throughout the campaign and gave the team opportunities to compete.
“I must commend our bowling group throughout the tournament,” he said. “Keemo Paul, Shamar Joseph, Nial Smith – those guys did a really good job for us. Veerasammy Permaul and Gudakesh Motie also contributed well.”
Hercules maintained that while the bowlers consistently delivered, the batting department never truly found its best form during the competition.
“The bowling department did well, but I don’t think we had our best batting performances throughout the tournament,” he concluded.
The defeat brings an end to GHE’s reign as regional four-day champions, while Trinidad and Tobago Red Force celebrate a long-awaited return to the summit of Caribbean first-class cricket.