Barbados Retain Rising Stars Under-19 Title with Unbeaten Tournament Campaign

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Defending champions Barbados completed a flawless campaign to retain the 2026 Cricket West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 50-Over Championship, defeating Jamaica by 116 runs in Wednesday’s championship final to cap an unbeaten run through the tournament.

Asked to bat first after Jamaica won the toss, Barbados produced another commanding run-scoring display, posting an imposing 320 for 9 from their allotted 50 overs.

The innings was anchored by an outstanding performance from all-rounder Justin Parris, who scored 100 from 98 deliveries batting at number six. Opener Kelani Clarke narrowly missed out on a half-century with 49, while Kemar Dixon added 48 and R’Jai Gittens provided late acceleration with a brisk 37 from just 19 balls.

Jamaica’s bowlers battled hard, with Alixandre Elliot returning impressive figures of 4 for 40, while Jahdae Moore took 3 for 58.

Faced with a daunting target of 321, the Jamaicans were never able to build the sustained partnerships needed to challenge the defending champions. Regular wickets kept the required run rate climbing before they were eventually dismissed for 204 in 43.5 overs.

Demario Hall top-scored with 47, while captain and wicketkeeper Pajay Nelson made 36. Opener Tyson Gordon Jr. contributed 28, with Perico Henry remaining unbeaten on 22.

Parris completed a memorable all-round display by starring with the ball, claiming 5 for 35 with his leg-spin, including the final wicket to seal Barbados’ emphatic victory. Asher Branford provided excellent support with 3 for 19, as Barbados sealed a sixth consecutive victory to successfully defend their title.

In the day’s other encounters, Trinidad and Tobago secured third place with a dominant seven-wicket victory over the Leeward Islands.

After dismissing the Leewards for just 88 in 26.5 overs, Trinidad and Tobago comfortably reached their target in 15.1 overs for the loss of only three wickets. Right-arm pacer Renaldo Fournillier led the bowling effort with 4 for 26, before captain Brendan Boodoo guided the chase with an unbeaten 49 from 46 deliveries.

In the fifth-place playoff, Guyana finished their campaign on a winning note with a 53-run victory over the Windward Islands.

Guyana posted 184 in 49.2 overs, built around 53 from all-rounder Dhanesh Persaud and 43 from Emmanuel Lewis, before bowling out the Windward Islands for 131 in 27.1 overs. Although four Windward batters reached scores in the twenties, Guyana struck at regular intervals, with Gilbert Griffith leading the attack with outstanding figures of 4 for 19.

Barbados’ dominance throughout the championship was reflected in the tournament awards, with Justin Parris named Most Valuable Player after an exceptional all-round campaign. The Barbadian amassed 196 runs, highlighted by his match-winning century in the final, while claiming 17 wickets to also finish as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.

Captain Gadson Bowens, on the back of his tournament-leading 209 in the second round, finished as the championship’s leading run scorer with 309 runs.

The remaining individual honours went to Earsinho Fontaine of the Windward Islands, who claimed the Most Catches award with six, while Trinidad and Tobago wicketkeeper Christiano Ramanan earned recognition as the tournament’s outstanding wicketkeeper after recording 11 dismissals.

The conclusion of the 2026 Rising Stars Under-19 Championship marks another important milestone in Cricket West Indies’ player development pathway, with several emerging talents producing performances that underline the strength of the region’s next generation as they continue their progression towards higher levels of representative cricket.

TOURNAMENT AWARDS

Most Valuable Player – Justin Parris (Barbados)

Batter with the Most Runs – Gadson Bowens (Barbados)

Bowler with the Most Wickets – Justin Parris (Barbados)

Fielder with the Most Catches – Earsinho Fontaine (Windward Islands)

Wicketkeeper with the Most Dismissals – Christiano Ramanan (Trinidad and Tobago)

BATTERS WITH THE MOST RUNS

BOWLERS WITH THE MOST WICKETS

WICKETKEEPERS WITH THE MOST DISMISSALS

FIELDERS WITH THE MOST CATCHES