ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies (CWI) announces the start of the 2026 Rising Stars Women’s Under-19 Championship, which will take place at venues across Antigua from August 8 to August 15.
The region’s young emerging female talent from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, the Windward Islands, the Leeward Islands and Guyana will do battle over the week-long tournament, with 2025 champions Barbados entering this year’s edition looking to complete the regional Under-19 double after capturing the Rising Stars Men’s Under-19 50-Over Championship in July.
The tournament is pivotal to CWI’s overarching strategy to grow the women’s game across the region, while also serving as a key talent identification period ahead of the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled for January and February 2027 in Bangladesh. In keeping with CWI’s longstanding approach of aligning regional youth competitions with the format of the next ICC age-group World Cup, this year’s championship returns to the T20 format following last year’s 30-over edition.
CWI’s High-Performance Manager, Dwain Gill, emphasized the importance of the championship with the 2027 World Cup on the horizon, in addition to contributing to the future of the women’s game in the region.
“With the 2027 Under-19 Women’s World Cup quickly approaching, the Championship provides a perfect opportunity for us to identify the region’s top talent with the goal of building a competitive squad for the global tournament”,
said Gill.
“Immediately following the tournament will be a two-week high-performance camp, with the best players from this tournament being selected to participate in an intensive programme of technical, tactical, physical and mental development aimed at accelerating their preparation for the global tournament.”
Twenty (20) players will be selected to stay on in Antigua for the camp which runs from August 16 – 30 at the CWI Headquarters, Coolidge Cricket Ground. Selection will be based on on-field performance and technical assessment; age eligibility for the 2027 World Cup; tactical awareness, temperament and competitiveness; fitness; and squad balance.
“Women’s cricket around the world is advancing rapidly, therefore we must continue our investment in the next generation of players to ensure we remain competitive on the international stage”,
Gill stated.
“The Rising Stars Under-19 Women’s Championship is a critical part of that journey. It provides our most talented young cricketers with the opportunity to compete, learn and grow in an environment that reflects the standards required to advance to the next level.”
In addition to the on-field competition, CWI will once again use the opportunity to positively impact the young athletes in areas of personal and professional development, with training sessions covering a number of areas including nutrition, mental and women’s health, digital and online presence, anti-doping, anti-corruption, among others.
Much like last month’s Men’s Championship, the preliminary stage of the tournament will see the six teams play each other once over five rounds, after which the top two will face off in the Championship Final, with the remaining teams competing in placement matches to determine the final standings.
Each round will see matches commencing at 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 2:00 PM, with all matches streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel, in addition to live scoring, match reports and daily updates available on www.windiescricket.com.
ROUND 1 – SATURDAY, AUGUST 8
- Leeward Islands vs Windward Islands – Liberta Sports Club @ 9:00 AM
- Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica – Bethesda Playing Field @10:00AM
- Barbados vs Guyana – Liberta Sports Club @ 2:00 PM
ROUND 2 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 9
- Leeward Islands vs Jamaica – Liberta Sports Club @ 9:00 AM
- Barbados vs Windward Islands – Bethesda Playing Field @10:00AM
- Trinidad and Tobago vs Guyana – Liberta Sports Club @ 2:00 PM
ROUND 3 – TUESDAY, AUGUST 11
- Barbados vs Leeward Islands – Coolidge Cricket Ground @ 9:00 AM
- Trinidad and Tobago vs Windward Islands – Liberta Sports Club @ 10:00 AM
- Jamaica vs Guyana – Coolidge Cricket Ground @ 2:00 PM
ROUND 4 – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12
- Leeward Islands vs Trinidad and Tobago – Coolidge Cricket Ground @ 9:00 AM
- Jamaica vs Barbados – Liberta Sports Club @ 10:00 AM
- Guyana vs Windward Islands – Coolidge Cricket Ground @ 2:00 PM
ROUND 5 – FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
- Windward Islands vs Jamaica – Coolidge Cricket Ground @ 9:00 AM
- Leeward Islands vs Guyana – Liberta Sports Club @ 10:00 AM
- Barbados vs Trinidad and Tobago – Coolidge Cricket Ground @ 2:00 PM
FINAL & PLACEMENT ROUND – SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
- 3 vs 4 – Coolidge Cricket Ground @ 9:00 AM
- 5 vs 6 – Liberta Sports Club @ 10:00 AM
- 1 vs 2 – Coolidge Cricket Ground @ 2:00 PM
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