A magnificent six-wicket haul by Kevin Sinclair destroyed the Leeward Islands Hurricanes batting and handed Guyana Harpy Eagles a superb 17-run win on an eventful last day of the fifth and final round of the West Indies Championship on Saturday.
The off-spinner bagged a career-best 6-33 from 16.5 overs, and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul supported with 3-44 from 15 overs as the Guyanese performed a bowling miracle to win the match and claim the Headley-Weekes Trophy, the symbol of supremacy in the tournament.
Scorecard here: https://www.windiescricket.com/matches/215792/#scorecard
The Hurricanes were bowled out for 125 in their second innings close to an hour after the start which sparked celebrations at the Guyana National Stadium. Captain Leon Johnson had the honor of raising the Headley Weekes trophy, on the final day of his career. The presentation was done by Enoch Lewis, Director of Cricket West Indies.
“This was a great performance … a great team performance and I’m massively proud of everyone who contributed towards us winning. We worked hard before the season, and we worked hard throughout this season. We were really tested in this final match and we responded to the challenge with a magnificent win,” Johnson said.
Chasing 143 to win, Hurricanes started the day on 81-1, and at 91-1 they looked set for a comfortable victory that would have denied Guyana the title. Sinclair then struck twice in the span of three balls in the fourth over of the day, removing Keacy Carty for 21 and Devon Thomas to cause panic.
The visitors lost their last nine wickets for 29 in the space of 74 balls Kieran Powell made the top score of 61. The champagne moment came at 11:43 am when Sinclair sealed the deal as he trapped Javier Spencer’s leg before without scoring swinging across.
Windward records big win over Barbados to end second
Scorecard here
The Windward Islands Volcanoes went into Day 4 and needed second Barbados Pride wickets for victory and a shot at winning their maiden West Indies Championship title. They got the win before the lunch interval with Kenneth Dember taking five wickets, but they missed out on the title because Guyana defeated the Leeward Islands.
Jonathan Drakes provided some Pride resistance as he made 35. The Volcanoes spin-duo of Larry Edward and Dember picked up the wickets needed for victory as Dember finished with of 13-0-3-26-5 and Edward had 17-4-38-3.
It was a bittersweet victory for the Volcanoes as captain Alick Athanaze said it’s a learning experience for them.
“We had no control over the other match but winning against Barbados means a lot for us. For us, it was about being consistent coming into today’s play and there was a lot for the spinner. The vibe (this year) was different for us, we set out a plan to know what kind of cricket we wanted to play and that worked well for us. We are a young group, and we are doing well right now. Winning part of the development and all of this is an experience for us.”
Following the Championship, the new Headley Weekes Series will feature three teams and matches, drawing from top performers in the 2023 West Indies Championship and players outside the starting West Indies Test XI. The Series will run from April 18 to May 6 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
Top performers
Most Runs – Alick Athanaze (647)
Most wkts – Rahkeem Cornwall (35)
Most dismissals – Jahmar Hamilton 19 ( 17 cts + 2 st)
Most Catches – Zachary McCaskie (13)