Saint Lucia’s Theo Edward was one of the stars of the opening matches of the West Indies Rising Stars Men’s Under-17 Two-Day Championship. Playing at Trinidad & Tobago’s National Cricket Centre, Edward struck the first century of the competition, guiding the Windward Islands to first-innings points over Guyana in Couva.
Windward Islands won the toss on Tuesday and elected to bat first. Opening the innings, Edward smashed 19 fours and four sixes in making 139 off 133 balls. He built partnerships of 58 with Zach Thomas and 44 with Jorden Charles, before losing his next three partners within six overs.
He then found a willing collaborator in fellow countryman Tyler Venner. The pair added 107 runs in 26.4 overs. When Edward was eventually caught behind, the sixth wicket to fall, the score was 227. He had taken 22 runs off Micah Amsterdam.
The Saint Lucian duo of Venner and Cody Fontinelle put on another 25 runs before the latter was dismissed for 20 off 15. Venner and Desrond Mitchell contributed 27, Venner departing at last for a patient 47. He faced 160 balls and hit just three fours. Mitchell was not out 19, as the Windwards declared on 281/9 after 76.1 overs.
Amsterdam ended as the best bowler for Guyana, with 5-58 from 14 overs.
The Windwards went straight to work with the ball. One wicket each for Venner and fellow Saint Lucian Bjorn Fanis had Guyana 26-2 overnight.
After 18.2 overs, the South American lads were in further jeopardy. Elran Glasgow took three wickets to leave them 5-43. But Shamar Apple and Adrian Hetmyer crafted a careful recovery, uniting for 77 runs, until Mitchell fell for 43.
Apple and Richard Ramdehol joined for 85, Glasgow separating them at 227-7. But it was Fanis who took the prize, Apple. He had the left-hander caught for 123 to take the score to 256-9. Venner captured Amsterdam’s scalp to dismiss Guyana for 264, 17 runs adrift.
In their second innings, on Wednesday afternoon, the Windwards got to 84-2. Edward retired not out on 13, and Jorden Charles made 47 from 45 deliveries.
Next, the Windwards face the Leeward Islands at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba. The Windwards will be sure to watch out for Kasim Challenger and Kunal Tilokani. That pair shared seven wickets as the Leewards took a first-innings lead over Jamaica in a low-scoring rubber at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, St Augustine.
Elsewhere, Barbados took first-innings points over defending champions and hosts Trinidad & Tobago. Gadson Bowens top-scored with 111 for the Bajans. The tournament serves as a crucial stepping stone in the West Indies player development pathway, exposing young cricketers to both red-ball and white-ball formats to build all-round skills and scout future regional Under-19 representatives.
