Barbados victorious in CWI Rising Stars Women’s Under-19 Championship

Barbados claimed victory in the Rising Stars Women’s Under-19 Championship, securing the title with a seven-wicket win over the Leeward Islands in a rain-affected final held in Trinidad on Saturday.

A CWI media release said the match saw Barbados restrict their opponents to 93 runs in 23.3 overs at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex. In reply, Barbados surpassed the adjusted target of 69 runs with relative ease, finishing at 72 for 3 in 12.2 overs.

Barbados’ captain, Theanny Herbert-Mayers, was instrumental with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 15 runs, while spinner Naijanni Cumberbatch contributed with figures of 3 for 33. The Leeward Islands’ captain, Jahzara Claxton, scored 28 runs, and Aliyah Weekes added 20, offering some resistance for the finalists.

Following the awards ceremony at the Hilton Trinidad & Conference Centre, Barbados’ head coach Robin Parris expressed pride in his team and the tournament overall, according to the statement. He highlighted a significant victory over Guyana in the third round by 98 runs as an indicator of the team’s potential and praised Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) pathway program for women’s cricket.

Parris noted, “The tournament was a well-rounded, organized tournament. For Barbados, we exhibited players who are developing and some players peaking in their young career who are using their skill sets to blend in with the young ones.”

He added, “For me, the examples are there. We are always trying to tell the girls, keep working on your game, you could be the next Deandra Dottin, the next Hayley Matthews or the next Shakera Selman. Once those pathways are there for the development of girls throughout the region, we will see the ladies game picking up pace.”

In the third-place playoff at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, Trinidad and Tobago narrowly defeated Jamaica by one wicket in a thrilling final over. Jamaica posted 117 all out, with captain Abigail Bryce scoring a resilient 62. Brianna Harricharan’s impressive bowling figures of 4 for 15 and Keira Superville’s 2 for 2 helped restrict Jamaica. In response, Trinidad and Tobago achieved 118 for 9, with the winning run coming off the final ball of the innings, despite early threats from Jamaican bowlers Judeen Ebanks (3 for and Moniqueca Reid (3 for 36).

The Windward Islands secured fifth place by defeating Guyana by ten wickets at the National Cricket Centre in Couva. Guyana was dismissed for 51 runs primarily due to Amiah Gilbert’s outstanding bowling effort of 5 for 12. Gilbert then contributed with an unbeaten 42 off 28 balls, guiding the Windward Islands to victory in just 8.2 overs.

The tournament faced significant disruptions due to rain from the outset, resulting in multiple abandoned matches, including early games between Trinidad & Tobago and the Leeward Islands, as well as Windward Islands versus Barbados. Jamaica edged out Guyana by six wickets via the DLS method after restricting their opponents to 27 for 3 in 10 overs, successfully chasing the target in 7.1 overs.

Round two was also affected by weather, with matches between Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados, and Jamaica versus Leeward Islands called off without any play. However, Guyana managed to recover from their initial loss by defeating the Windward Islands in their second game.

The tournament gained momentum in round three, with all three matches played. Jamaica convincingly beat Trinidad & Tobago by 56 runs, the Leeward Islands recorded a commanding 81-run victory over the Windward Islands, and Barbados demonstrated their championship credentials with a 98-run win over Guyana.

In round four, Trinidad & Tobago achieved their first victory, defeating the Windward Islands by 10 wickets, while Barbados continued their strong form with a nine-wicket victory over Jamaica. The Leeward Islands also maintained pace, beating Guyana by seven wickets.

The penultimate round saw Barbados maintain their unbeaten record with a seven-wicket win over the Leeward Islands. Trinidad & Tobago narrowly beat Guyana by two wickets, and the Windward Islands claimed their first win of the tournament by defeating Jamaica by four wickets.

The individual awards and recognitions included several standout performances. Player of the Match awards were given as follows:

– Round 1 (Guyana vs. Jamaica): Davehjah Brown (Jamaica) – 2 wickets for 15 runs
– Round 2 (Guyana vs. Windward Islands): Tia Issacs (Guyana) – 4 wickets for 15 runs and 16* runs
– Round 3 (Barbados vs. Guyana): Naijanni Cumberbatch (Barbados) – 6 wickets for 7 runs
– Trinidad and Tobago vs. Jamaica: Abigail Bryce (Jamaica) – 57* runs
– Leeward Islands vs. Windward Islands: Sainavi Kambalapalli (Leeward Islands) – 27 runs and 6 wickets for 8 runs
– Round 4 (T&T vs. Windward Islands): Amrita Ramtahal (T&T) – 5 wickets for 16 runs and 19* runs
– Jamaica vs. Barbados: Asabi Callender (Barbados) – 52* runs
– Guyana vs. Leeward Islands: Sainavi Kambalapalli (Leeward Islands) – 4 wickets for 22 runs and 37* runs
– Round 5 (T&T vs. Guyana): Brianna Harricharan (T&T) – 5 wickets for 20 runs
– Leeward Islands vs. Barbados: Naijanni Cumberbatch (Barbados) – 5 wickets for 8 runs
– Windward Islands vs. Jamaica: Selena Ross (Windward Islands) – 6 wickets for 4 runs

In the playoff matches, Amiah Gilbert of the Windward Islands was named Player of the Match for her performance of 5 wickets for 12 runs and an unbeaten 42. Brianna Harricharan of Trinidad and Tobago received the Player of the Match award for her 4 wickets for 15 runs in the third-place playoff, while Theanny Herbert-Mayers of Barbados was named Player of the Match in the final for her 3 wickets for 15 runs.

CWI reported that team awards recognized outstanding players from each squad, with Barbados’ Theanny Herbert-Mayers earning the top team accolade. Additional individual honors included Laurene Williams (Guyana), Teandra Issacs (Jamaica), Courtney Browne (Leeward Islands), Amrita Ramtahal (Trinidad and Tobago), and Daisy Woods (Windward Islands). Natalia Phillip of Windward Islands received the award for most catches (4), and Naijanni Cumberbatch led the bowling charts with 17 wickets at an average of 3.82. The best wicket-keeper awards went to Kaela George (Windward Islands) and Katherine Bean-Rosario (Leeward Islands), both with four dismissals. Sainavi Kambalapalli from Leeward Islands was recognized as the top batter, amassing 167 runs at an average of 83.50.

Special acknowledgments were made to Marjorie Thomas, Stephanie Power, and Ann Browne-John for their longstanding contributions to the development of women’s cricket in the West Indies.