By Tyriq Walters
Guyana’s Under-19 cricket team experienced a heavy defeat to Barbados in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars U-19 Men’s Two-Day Championship held at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St. Vincent on Thursday.
In a one-sided contest, Barbados secured a commanding nine-wicket victory over Guyana.
After Barbados declared their first innings at 201/9, Guyana struggled and was dismissed for just 97 runs. This significant deficit of 104 runs forced Guyana to follow-on.
Shahad Viera emerged as Guyana’s top scorer in the first innings with 36 runs, while promising all-rounder Thaddeus Lovell contributed 25 runs.
Barbados’s Kyron King was instrumental in Guyana’s collapse, taking 5 wickets for 40 runs, supported by Raneico Smith’s 3 wickets for 16 runs.
In their second innings, Guyana managed to score 184 runs, setting a target of 82 runs for Barbados.
Vice-captain Jonathan Van Lange played a key role with 48 runs, and Lovell added another 35 runs.
Despite their efforts, Guyana could not prevent a defeat as Barbados chased down the target with ease, losing just one wicket.
Opener Zion Brathwaite’s 34 runs and Joshua Dorune’s 24 runs guided Barbados to victory.
Golcharran Chuli was the sole Guyanese bowler to claim a wicket in Barbados’s second innings.
As the tournament progresses, Guyana currently stands sixth on the points table with 16.4 points, while Barbados leads with 44.6 points.