Barbados Clinch West Indies Under-15 Title with Jahidi Hinds' Remarkable Performance

Barbados were crowned West Indies Under-15 champions on Wednesday after a solid all-round show from Jahidi Hinds enabled them to overcome a destructive spell from Windward Islands captain Earsinho Fontaine and gallop to a 192-run win.

Hinds gathered the top score of 84 from 105 balls that included five fours and three sixes, and he was one of three batsmen that got half-centuries for the Barbadians in their total of 297 all out in 49.2 overs after they chose to bat in their fifth and final round match at Bethesda.

Barbados captain and fellow opener Damarko Wiggins supported with 62 off 69 balls that included five fours and three sixes, and left-hander Justin Parris made 58 from 61 balls, before Fontaine carved up the bottom half of their side’s batting to end with five for 18 from 4.2 overs.

In reply, Jorden Charles got 32 and was the only Windwards batsman that reached 20 before they were dismissed for 105 in 26.2 overs.

Javed Worrell was the most successful Barbadian bowler taking three for 17 from five overs, while Kelani Clarke and Hinds took two wickets apiece to help complete the demolition of the batting of the Windwards, who finished fourth in the tournament on nine points.

It was the fourth win in a row for the Barbadians after their opening match against Guyana was washed out without a ball bowled, and they topped the six-team table with 22 points – 1.2 more than the second-placed Guyanese.

“After last year’s performance, I think a lot of hard work and a lot of planning went into our preparations,” Barbados coach Roddy Estwick said.

“We had a lot more time to prepare and the boys were very coachable, and once young players are coachable, prepared to listen, and work hard, they will have a chance to be successful and I am happy for them.

“The overall performance was quite pleasing. I thought it was a team performance, but the most pleasing thing for me is that I made some tactical tweaks and the boys bought in to it,” he added.

The tweak that paid the most dividends was convincing Wiggins, the tournament’s leading scorer with 291 runs at an average of 72.75, to open the batting.

Estwick said the left-hander had batted in the middle order in two previous tournaments with little impact, but he felt he could offer more to the team at the top of the order.

“I felt this year having looked at him opening, and it really paid off and he bought in to the idea as well. When you plan something like that and it comes off, it works, it’s very pleasing,” he admitted.

Elsewhere, a tidy all-round performance from Parmeshwar Ram helped to spur Guyana to a 147-run win against hosts Leeward Islands at Liberta – and second place.

Opening the bat, Ram led the way with 60 off 83 balls that included five fours in Guyana’s total of 258 for eight after they were put in to bat.

Emmanuel Lewis made 60 off 55 balls that included five fours and three sixes, and Adrian Hetmyer, nephew of West Indies left-handed batsman Shimron Hetmyer, scored 48.