Windwards flops again!

Windwards senior Cricket selectors: Julian Charles, Stanley Hinds, and recently appointed Charles Walters may well have to look for an almost entirely new squad for the remaining three matches in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) four-day regional Cricket Competition.{{more}}

Luckily, the trio, along with stand-in Captain Devon Smith, will have just about one week to find a competitive outfit to face the Leewards, when the fifth round, which runs from February 12-15, is played Guyana.

If drastic and decisive moves are made, it may well see St. Vincent and the Grenadines having only one or two players heading out to Guyana next week.

A woeful second innings batting display by the Windwards middle order gave host Barbados an outright win, after their gamble at one point seemed to have backfired.

Chasing down 273, after Barbados had declared their second innings at 297 for 7, the Windwards was bowled out for 174. But this after Andre Fletcher, 77, and Devon Smith, 54, had laid the platform, staging a stand of 122, after losing Tyrone Theophile at 12.

But like a house built of straw, after the departure of Fletcher and Smith, no one showed any stickability, as fast bowler Tino Best grabbed 5 for 41, and Kevin Stoute, 3 for 16.

The Windwards, the 2009 second place finalists, remain on 12 points and are more or less out of the running to challenge leaders Jamaica, who sit on 36 points.

The Windwards after dismissing Barbados for 287, scored 307.

Liam Sebastian’s 143 was the mainstay of the Windwards first innings.

Supporting Sebastian was Fletcher who made 63. Bowling for Barbados, Stoute took 3 for 14.

Offspinner Shane Shillingford was the architect of the destruction of the Barbados first innings. Shillingford hauled in 6 for 98. In between, though, Kirk Edwards scored 55, Jason Haynes 51, Dale Richards, 50, and Ryan Hinds, 40.

In Barbados’ second innings, Edwards struck 90, Hinds, 58, and Richards, 53. Shillingford captured 3 for 76.

Meanwhile, the Windwards’ opponents in the next round also lost out to Trinidad and Tobago.

The Leewards bowlers, led by Wilden Cornwall’s 5 for 27, dismissed Trinidad and Tobago for 176. The topscorers for the Trinidadians were Daren Ganga, who made 57, and Imran Khan, 53.

The Leewards scored 201. Monctin Hodge carried his bat to make 54 not out. Amit Jaggernauth and Khan took 4 for 79 and 3 for 52, respectively.

Khan led the Trinidadians second innings with 63 in his team’s total of 226. Omari Banks captured 4 for 53 and Cornwall, 4 for 56.

Asked to make 202, the Leewards crashed to 156 all out. Khan, 4 for 35, and Jaggernauth, 3 for 40.

And, the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) recorded a five-wicket win over Guyana with offspinner Ryan Austin being the star performer. Austin, who was a filler last year against Bangladesh, had a ten wicket match haul, 10 for 118.

Scores: Combined Campuses and Colleges: 239 and 195 for 5. Guyana 271 and 162.

The Points Standings read Jamaica, 36, Barbados, 33, CCC, 24, Trinidad and Tobago, 21, the Windwards, 16, the Leewards, 10, and Guyana, 7.(RT)