Barbados defended their CWI Rising Stars Men’s Under-19 50-over Championship title in emphatic fashion by defeating Trinidad and Tobago in the fourth and penultimate round here on Saturday.
It was their fourth win in as many matches and with the Leeward Islands’ loss to Guyana, Barbados cannot be overtaken in Monday’s final round of matches.
In the day’s other result, Jamaica emerged victorious by trouncing the Windward Islands.
At Pigotts Sports Ground: Barbados will be crowned champions once again following their comprehensive six-wicket victory over Trinidad and Tobago.
The win moved their record to 4-0 with just one round of matches to go, with their nearest challengers holding 2-2 records.
The result always seemed likely once T and T were routed for just 141 in 37.1 overs, thanks mainly to a five-wicket haul by Rajeev Parsooram.
Barbados had a slight wobble early on, losing both their openers cheaply, but recovered to comfortably reach 142 for four in 31.1 overs.
T and T seemed on track to post a competitive total when openers Christian Lall and Levi Ghanny were at the crease during a 92-run stand.
But once Parsooram got the breakthrough by having Lall caught for 54 off 63 balls, T and T lost their way.
Raphael Lovell had Ghanny stumped for 25, while Tariq Richards, Christiano Ramanan and Renaldo Fournillier all fell cheaply to leave T and T stuttering at 110 for five after 26 overs.
Captain Brendan Boodoo scored 22, but no other batters got into double digits and their innings folded meekly.
Parsooram finished with figures of 5-35, while Justin Parris took 2-9 and Lovell 2-21.
Barbados found themselves in a spot of bother when Fournillier accounted for the wickets of Gadson Bowens and Damarko Wiggins to leave them 11 for two in the sixth over.
But knocks of 37 from Jordan Graham and 23 from Kemar Dixon, along with an unbeaten 40 by Seth Smith and Parris’ contribution of 27 not out, helped Barbados ease to victory with almost 20 overs to spare.
Smith and Parris shared an unbroken partnership of 54 for the fifth wicket that rescued them from a ticklish position of 88 for four.
At Liberta Sports Club: The Leeward Islands were the only side that stood a chance of unseating the defending champions, but their title hopes went up in flames when they were surprisingly trounced by 121 runs by the previously winless Guyana.
After choosing to bat first, Guyana was led by half centuries from captain Parmeshwar Ram and Adrian Hetmyer, before being bowled out for 272 in 47.1 overs.
The Leeward Islands were then doomed by a middle order collapse that saw them crumble from 70 for two to 151 all out in 37.4 overs.
It was a solid all-around performance from a Guyana outfit that had failed to win any of their three previous matches.
They owed their total to a 104-run partnership between Ram and Hetmyer that steadied the innings following the early dismissals of opener Khush Seegobin and Justin Dowlin.
When Ram was needlessly run out for 79 off 82 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes, Guyana were still well placed at 143 for three after 26 overs.
At that stage they would have been hoping to post a bigger total, but Matthew Miller’s four wicket haul and the unfortunate run out of Hetmyer for 76 off 90 balls, which included seven fours and one six, stunted their momentum.
Emmanuel Lewis scored a vital 42 batting at number seven, which contributed to the final total.
Miller ended with 4-45, while Kerique Mentore took 2-51.
After losing Tanez Francis and Lyhte Browne early, Kunal Tilokani and J’Quan Athanaze consolidated during a 41-run partnership for the third wicket.
However, when Gilbert Griffith bowled Tilokani for 37, the Leeward Islands lost four wickets for 28 runs to slide to 98 for six.
Lawshorn Bergan, who scored 31, led a brief lower order fightback, but they lost their last three wickets for four runs to seal their defeat.
Griffith took 3-29 and Ram 2-32.
At Bethesda Sports Ground: Jamaica kept the Windward Islands winless by handing them a 114-run whipping.
Buoyed by an unbeaten century from opener Tyson Gordon Jr and half centuries by captain Odane Binns and Demarco Scott, Jamaica coasted to 252 for three in their 50 overs.
The Windward Islands’ batters then failed to fire, with Perico Henry’s four-wicket haul helping to bowl them out for a meagre 139 runs in 25.3 overs.
Henry claimed the wickets of Earshino Fontaine, Zach Thomas and Tyler Venner in quick succession to reduce the Windwards to 51 for six.
The Windward Islands only managed to get over the 100-run mark thanks to a fighting knock of 47 from Cody Fontinelle, with the outcome of the match long decided.
Henry claimed 4-28 and Joel Williams 2-25.
Earlier, Gordon Jr and Binns shared a partnership of 103 runs for the first wicket, which helped to set the tempo for the remainder of the innings.
Binns was eventually dismissed for 55 off 97 balls, with the wickets of Demario Hall and Pajay Nelson falling in quick order to make the score 141 for three.
But Gordon Jr, who finished unbeaten on 102 off 132 balls with 11 fours and two sixes, and Scott, who scored 52 not out off 45 balls, shared an unbroken partnership of 111 runs to take Jamaica to a winning target.