KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (CMC) – Only 61 balls were possible in the feature contest between Windward Islands and title-holders Guyana while the two other fixtures were abandoned without a ball bowled as rain wrecked the opening round of the CWI Under-19 Championship in St. Vincent on Sunday.
Playing at Arnos Vale Stadium, rain twice interrupted the Windwards innings after they were sent in, before a third shower ended the contest prematurely with the home side perched on 48 for two in the 11th over.
In the short time available, West Indies Under-19 star Kimani Melius highlighted proceedings by stroking an up tempo 34-ball 25.
“The major positive for us was our captain and opener Kimani Melius who was the leading run scorer in last year’s tournament,” said Windwards coach Clifford Thomas.
“He was basically looking like he was picking up from where he left off during his short innings before he got out and that’s a good sign for us in the remainder of the competition.”
Guyana coach Julian Moore said the constant rain interruptions had been frustrating.
“Obviously we were frustrated at the stop-start nature of the game, but we can take many positives going into the upcoming matches,” he said.
“We wanted to bowl first regardless of the weather, since we depend heavily on our pacers. Even after the game was reduced to 27 overs, our game plan was not altered much.”
Jamaica and Leeward Islands also shared the points at Cumberland while Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados did likewise at Park Hill, after rain prevented the start of both encounters.
In Tuesday’s second round, the Windwards face Leewards at Cumberland; Guyana take on Barbados at Arnos Vale; while T&T clash with Jamaica at Park Hill.