West Indies Under-15s Rising Stars Tournament culminates in UK

West Indies’ Under-15 Rising Stars team completed their summer tour of England last weekend, winning two out of their four completed games, with rain forcing the other matches to be abandoned.

This was the 5th consecutive summer tour to England by the West Indies Under-15 team. It is a reward for the top performing young players in the West Indies Rising Stars Under-15 Championship tournament, held in Antigua this April. Trinidad and Tobago won that tournament.
Steve Liburd, West Indies Under-15 Coach and CWI Schools’ Cricket Development Officer, said: “This year didn’t go perfectly as planned, because a few of the matches were rain-affected. Otherwise, the tour was a very important one in the player development pathway for young Caribbean cricketers”.
Liburd, who represented the Leeward Islands in domestic cricket, continued: “Playing cricket in England is very different to play in Caribbean, it challenges technique more, and gives you a better perspective of your overall game; so it is ideal that these guys got that experience now.
“The players adjusted really well, and I have to commend them for that, which is most pleasing (to me) as a coach.”Nine of the 13-member squad were getting their first experience playing cricket in England, and Coach Liburd spoke about some of the players who impressed on the tour as players to watch.

Justin Jaggessar
“Because he scored a century and a half-century, (he) was an obvious standout from a batting perspective.”

Mavendra Dindyal and Jordan Johnson
“Mavendra Dindyal (toured England last year) and Jordan Johnson, from Guyana and Jamaica respectively, looked the part every time they batted also. As young players at this stage, it’s all about learning to convert scores while enjoying the game.”

Nathan Sealey
“Co-captain Nathan Sealey has good potential to develop as a genuine all-rounder, because he bowls good left-arm spin and contributes down the order as a batsman.”

Kamario Grant
“Kamario has a Kieron Pollard-like hitting ability that is notable because it’s a special skill that you can’t teach.”
Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, commenting on the tour, said: “I am really pleased that the cream of our Under-15 players have had this opportunity and have been exposed in a competitive environment. The fact that they have had this opportunity in a foreign environment is an added plus, as it gives CWI a better idea of the strength and potential of these young players.”
The Rising Stars Under-15 programme will next see action around the Easter period in 2020, with the six main regional franchises participating in the West Indies Rising Stars Under-15 Championship.
Summarised scores from matches played are as follows: At Willesden, August 8, West Indies Under-15 won by 165 runs. West Indies U-15 scored 285 for five off 40 overs. Justin Jagessar made 159, and Mavendra Dindyal 37.
South Hampstead scored 120 all out off 26.3 overs. Andrew Rambarran took 3 for 9 from 4 overs; Jordan Johnson took 2 for 35 from 7 overs, and Isaiah Thorne took 2 for 20 from 3 overs.
At Northampton Saints, August 11: Game ended in no-result.
West Indies Under-15 made 248/6 off 44.2 overs. Jordan Morris made 95 not out, Mavendra Dindyal 64, Kamario Grant 46.
At Eastcote, August 12 (1st Twenty/20): England SW & London & East Regions U15s won by 59 runs. England SW & London & East Regions U15s made 212 off 20 overs. West Indies U15 made 153/7 off 20 overs. Mavendra Dindyal made 35, and Jordan Johnson 28.
Second Twenty/20: England SW & London & East Regions U15s won by 10 wickets. West Indies U15 made 121/7 off 20 overs, with Kamario Grant on 50 not out. England SW & London & East Regions U15s made 122/0 off 13.1 overs.
At Shenley, August 18: West Indies Under-15 won by 109 runs. West Indies U15 made 211 all out off 39.5 overs, with Justin Jagessar making 51, Jordan Johnson 39, and Andrew Rambarran 38.
Barmy Army Colts U15 made 102 all out off 37.2 overs, with Jordan Johnson making 3/17 from 7 overs, Isaiah Thore 2/8 from 5 overs, and Nathan Sealy 2/21 from 8 overs. (Excerpted from CWI)