Windies Under-19s win at Gilbert Park

The West Indies Under-19 cricket squad, on World Youth Cup preparation camp, beat club team W-Connection Caroni Wanderers by 70 runs in a 35-overs-a-side practice match at Gilbert Park on Thursday. Lendl Simmons smashed a half-century and led the Windies Under-19s to 178 for four, and W-Connection Caroni Wanderers responded with 108 for nine off their 35 overs. Simmons, a West Indies “A” team player, struck 58 with eight fours and one six, and vice-captain Kirk Edwards hit 38 to lead the Under-19s’ batting, against leg-spinner Sanjiv Gooljar (3-33). Narine Bidhesi (41 not out) led the reply for W-Connection Caroni Wanderers but they never threatened the target.

Medium pacer Rondell Shade, recruited to assist the short-handed Under-19s, was the top bowler with three for 17, supported well by Liam Sebastien (2-12), Rishi Bachan (2-15) and Simmons (2-16). “Things went well for us,” Windies Under-19 coach Clyde Butts told CMC Sport. “Simmons got a good 50, Kirk Edwards batted for a long time, worked the ball around, and when it was our turn to bowl, I thought we bowled well, we bowled fairly straight, and looked the part,” Butts added. Both teams meet again today at the same venue in a 50-over-a-side contest. The West Indies Under-19s will contest the ICC Youth World Cup in Bangladesh between February 15 and March 5 and have been drawn in Group “D” with Pakistan, Ireland, and Papua New Guinea.

In spite of the absence of four players in the squad, coach Butts is happy with the programme so far at the camp. “They have been putting in a lot of work and they have been doing well after being away from cricket for a little while in the middle. We have been using the indoor nets, and things have been working really well,” Butts said. Batsman Tishan Maraj, pacers Mervyn Matthew and Barrington Yearwood, and all-rounder Xavier Marshall, missed the first week of the camp because of school commitments and are expected to join the camp this weekend.