ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — A destructive spell from Arif Khan set up Guyana for a nine-wicket win and dealt Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) a major setback to their title defence in the West Indies Under-15 Championship on Thursday in Antigua.
The Guyanese pacer had to share the headlines in the second round of matches with Barbados captain, Damarko Wiggins, whose run-a-ball hundred spurred his side to a 94-run win against hosts Leeward Islands, and a tidy all-round performance from Windward Islands captain, Earsinho Fontaine, enabled his side to cruise to a seven-wicket win against Jamaica.
Khan bagged five for 18 from six overs, and left-arm spinner Gilbert Griffith supported with three for 19 from the same number of overs. Guyana bowled out T&T for a meagre 83 in 24.2 overs in their match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
An unbroken second-wicket stand of 54 between opener Parmeshwar Ram, not out on 37, and Emmanuel Lewis, not out on 31, then carried Guyana to their target in 18.4 overs, and the match was completed before the interval between innings.
Wiggins struck eight fours and six sixes in 105 off 104 balls and shared a double-hundred, first-wicket stand with fellow opener Jahidi Hinds that anchored the Barbadians to 327 for four off their allocation of 50 overs at the Bethesda Sports Complex.
Hinds made 81 from 122 balls including nine fours and one six, and Kelani Clarke got 46 in a dominant batting display from Barbados after they chose to bat.
Lawshorn Bergan, who grabbed two wickets in the Barbados innings, completed a tidy all-round performance with a top score of 50 off 78 balls before the Leewards were bowled out for 233 in 49.3 overs.
Fontaine, opening the batting, cracked 12 fours and one six in an unbeaten 93 off 129 balls and led a successful Windwards run chase of 194 against the Jamaicans at Liberta.
Earlier, Fontaine was one of three Windwards bowlers who defied half-centuries from Ryan Lyttleton and Tyson Gordon and restricted Jamaica to 193 for eight in their 50 overs.
Lyttleton, batting at five, hit 61 from 91 balls that included five fours and one six, and Gordon made 51 from 88 balls that contained five fours.
The tournament continues on Saturday when Jamaica face Guyana at Bethesda, Leewards meet Windwards at Liberta, and T&T battles Barbados at All Saints.