By Samuel Peters
In a dramatic turn of events, the Leeward Islands suffered a disappointing loss to the Windward Islands in their third place match in the Rising Stars Under-19 Two Day Championship.
Despite a strong start with the ball, the Leewards’ batting collapse in both innings led to their downfall.
Day one saw the Leewards bowl out the Windwards for a modest 96 runs, with Michael Palmer and Nathan Edward making early breakthroughs.
Mekali Tonge and Matthew Miller also impressed, each claiming two wickets.
However, the Leewards’ batting woes quickly became apparent as they ended the day at a precarious 74 for eight.
On the second day, the Leewards could only add four runs to their overnight score, being dismissed for 78.
Windwards’ Kirt Murray was the standout bowler with figures of five for 19, while Lee John supported with three for 30.
In their second innings, the Windwards showed more resilience.
Despite early wickets from Edward and Tonge, a crucial 31-run partnership between Earsinho and Kirt Murray steadied the ship.
The Windwards eventually declared at 151 for eight, setting a challenging target of 170 for the Leewards in just over 20 overs.
The Leewards’ attempt to chase the target fell woefully short, with only T’yanick Honore showing significant resistance.
His aggressive 56 off 46 balls, including six sixes, was the lone bright spot in an otherwise disappointing batting display.
The match was called off with the Leewards at 99 for seven, still needing 71 runs to win outright, therefore losing the match via the first innings points.
In other tournament news, Barbados were crowned the 2024 Rising Stars Under-19 Champions, dethroning the defending champions Jamaica in a drawn match where they secured first innings points.
The fifth-place match saw Guyana emerge victorious over Trinidad and Tobago by the same result.
