T&T Crowned U-17 Champions, Guyana narrowly misses out

Unbeaten Guyana Under-17 cricket team narrowly missed out on winning their first title at the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional U-17 Tournament which concluded on Sunday. Guyana won three matches while two were abandoned due to rain but ended on 20.3

Sachin Singh
Sachin Singh

points, 0.3 points behind eventual winners Trinidad and Tobago who also played unbeaten.
In their final game, Guyana defeated Windward Islands by a comprehensive margin of 60 runs to go with their wins in the first and second round over Leewards by 44 runs and Barbados by six wickets in that order. The scheduled games against the host and Jamaica were washed out.
Guyana entered the final round needing to secure a win to keep their hopes alive to win the title and they did exactly that.

 Joshua Persaud
Joshua Persaud

Batting first, Guyana recorded the highest total of the tournament 253-5 off 50 overs. Sachin Singh top scored with 78 while Vice-captain Joshua Persaud made 77 and got support from Ashmead Nedd (33) and Kurt Lovell (26 not out). Urnell Thomas picked up three wickets for 51.
Windwards were rattled for 193 in 44.2 overs with Micah Joseph 62, Tijourne Pope 45, and Johann Jerimiah 31, being the main scorers. Skipper Bhaskar Yadram was Guyana’s chief wicket-taker, claiming (5.2-1-16-3) and was helped by Kevin Umroa (8-1-40-2), Kevin Sinclair (6-1-11-1), Ashmead Nedd (7-0-17-1), J. Jones (9.3-1-50-1), and Alphius Bookie (8.3-1-57-1), in the demolition job on the dethroned champs. Joshua Persaud was voted “Player of the Match”.
Windwards finished third with 14.2 points, and were followed by Barbados on 14.0, Jamaica 7.3, and Leewards on 1.4.
Trinidad locked in the title with an easy win over Barbados on the back of a solid knock by West Indies U-19 player Kirstan Kallicharan who hit 87 to propel Trinidad to a 35 run win.
Jamaica defeated Leeward Islands by 69 runs at Gilbert Park, California, Couva. Jamaica managed 147 in 48.1 overs with skipper Nigel Palmer 42, Ricardo McIntosh 34, and Dorrel Thomas 31, being the main run-getters. Elroy Francis Jr took three wickets for 17, and Jerrilious Louis three for 27.
Leewards folded up for 78 all out in 21.1 overs. Andre Gayle (2/10), Roberto Simpson (3/27) and Christopher Green (2/21) did the damage.