By Neto Baptiste
The Leeward Islands Under-19 squad performed credibly in two warm-up matches here over the weekend, winning one and losing the other, to select Antigua and Barbuda teams as they prepare for the Regional Under-19 tournament in St. Vincent & the Grenadines starting later this month.
In their first match, the Under-19s defeated the Antigua and Barbuda Under-23 by 30 runs at the Police Recreation Grounds.
Batting first, the under-19s amassed 290 for seven in their 50 overs with captain Zawandi White hitting 83 and vice-captain Elroy Francis Jr. adding 71. Uri Smith chipped in with 60 while Paul Miller gathered 21 and Kriston Yearwood made 16.
Bowling for the national under-23 team, Avier Christian claimed two wickets for 28 runs while Javy Benjamin claimed two for 81.
When their turn at the crease arrived, Antigua and Barbuda fell short in their chase, reaching 260 for seven in their allotted 50 overs. Tyrone Williams had a top knock of 70 with Shacoy Floyd and BJ Henry getting 49 and 45 runs respectively.
Taiem Tonge was the pick of the bowlers for the Under-19s, claiming three wickets for 42 runs while White picked up two for 49.
The tide however shifted in the home team’s favor in the second warm-up contest with the Under-23s claiming a 26-run victory over the Leeward Islands at the same venue.
Opting to bat, Antigua and Barbuda amassed 232 for seven in their allotted 50 overs. Kofi James led the charge with 97 runs while Christian reached 43. Bowling for the Under-19s, Boognarine Dharma snatched two wickets for 43 runs with Tonge getting two for 47.
When their turn at the crease arrived, the Leewards fell just short of the target, scoring 206 all-out in 44.3 overs.
Anderson Amurdan top-scored with 40 while Paul Miller scored 39 and Carlon Bowen Tuckett 33. Bowling for the Under-23s, James picked up three for 14 and Kadeem Josiah had two for 31.