Five members of the West Indies Academy have earned places in the exclusive squads for the first and second rounds of the upcoming four-day West Indies first-class championship tournament, starting on January 31.
The West Indies Academy players who have been selected are Kirk McKenzie, Jamaica Scorpions left-hander; Kevin Wickham, right-handed shooter for Barbados Pride; Ashmead Nedd, left arm spinner for the Guyana Harpy Eagles; and Teddy Bishop, right-handed pitcher for the Windward Islands Volcanoes. Right-arm fast bowler Kelvin Pitman has been named in the 13-man provisional squad named by the Leeward Islands Hurricanes.
Graeme West, CWI’s High Performance Manager, who has overseen the West Indies Academy program since its inception in 2022, predicts good performances from the players when the tour concludes next week in Grenada and Antigua.
West said: “It’s really good to see players getting selected to take part in the West Indies Championship. It shows that the investment made by CWI in developing these young players is paying off. The West Indies Academy played in the CG United Super50 last November, several players were also selected in the CPL earlier in the year, and that was great exposure in the white-ball formats. Now, with the first two rounds of the West Indies Championship ahead of us, we have players selected for the red ball format and hope to see more graduates later in the tournament as well.”
West added: “As well as playing in the four-day tournament, we also have the opportunity to play in the Headley Weekes Tri-Series in April and May, another major investment in player development by CWI. This is an amazing opportunity for these young players to match up against some of the best in the region and we see this as the right kind of platform at this stage in their development. They fitted in very well in the 50-over format last year in the CG United Super50 Cup and we anticipate more growth and eye-catching performances when they match up in the red ball format as well.”
The tournament will open with the Windward Islands Volcanoes hosting the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at the Grenada National Stadium (GNS). This match will start on January 31 and will continue from February 1 to 3.
In Antigua, defending champions Barbados Pride will begin their bid for a hat-trick of titles when they take on the Guyana Harpy Eagles in the feature match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS) on February 1-4. The third contest will see the Leeward Islands Hurricanes host the Jamaica Scorpions at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) from February 1 to 4.
The second round will be played from February 8 to 11 when Barbados Pride meet Jamaica Scorpions at the CCG; Trinidad & Tobago Red Force travel to face Leeward Islands Red Force in the SVRS and Guyana will take on the Windward Islands Volcanoes in the GNS.
After the West Indies Championship, the new Headley Weeks Series will follow the West Indies Championship and will have three matches and three teams. Team Headley and Team Weeks will select from the top performers in the 2023 West Indies Championship and players outside the West Indies starting Test XI. The new West Indies Academy will provide the third team in the new Series.
Team Headley and Team Weeks are named after West Indies pioneers and legendary betting greats George Headley and Sir Everton Weeks, whose names are also honored on the West Indies Championship Winners’ Trophy. All three matches will be played from April 18 to May 6 at the CCG in Antigua.
Every West Indies Championship match will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel. Fans can follow every game from their mobile devices, computers or connected TVs, including access to live ball-by-ball commentary in the live match center on windiescricket.com.
WEST INDIES Championship 2023 Match Schedule
All matches start at 10:00 Eastern Caribbean Time (09:00 Jamaica Time)
GNS – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
SVRS – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
CCG – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua
ROUND 1:
January 31 to February 3 – Grenada
Windward Islands Volcanoes vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in GNS
February 1 to 4 – Antigua
Barbados Pride v Guyana Harpy Eagles at SVRS
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Jamaica Scorpions at CCG
ROUND 2:
February 8 to 11 – Grenada and Antigua
Windward Islands Volcanoes vs Guyana Harpy Eagles on GNS
Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at SVRS
Jamaica Scorpions v Barbados Pride at CCG
ROUND 3:
March 15 to 18 in Trinidad – Venues to be confirmed
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force vs Guyana Harpy Eagles
Jamaica Scorpions v Windward Islands Volcanoes
Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Barbados Pride
ROUND 4:
March 22 to 25 in Trinidad – Venues to be confirmed
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Barbados Pride
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Jamaica Scorpions
Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Windward Islands Volcanoes
ROUND 5:
March 29 to April 1 in Trinidad – Venues to be confirmed
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Jamaica Scorpions
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes
Barbados Pride v Windward Islands Volcanoes
Headley Weeks Tri-Series
All matches will be played at CCG, Antigua
Match 1: 19 to 22 April: Team Headley v West Indies Academy
Match 2: 26 to 29 April: Team Weeks v West Indies Academy
Match 3: May 3 to 6: Team Weeks v Team Headley
Teams (Rounds 1 and 2)
Pride of Barbados: Shane Dowrich (Captain) Camarie Boyce, Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Drakes, Keon Harding, Chaim Holder, Akeem Jordan, Nicholas Kirton, Jair McAllister, Shayne Moseley, Zachary McCaskie, Shamar Springer, Kevin Wickham; Vasbert Drakes (Head Coach)
Guyana Harpy Eagles: Leon Johnson (captain), Veerasammy Permaul (vice-captain), Chandrapaul Hemraj, Matthew Nandu, Kemol Savory, Tevin Imlach, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith, Ronsford Beaton, Akshaya Persaud, Ashmead Nedd, Shamar Joseph; Ryan Hercules (Head Coach)
Jamaica Scorpions: Paul Palmer jr (Captain), Jamie Merchant, Alwyn Williams, Aldaine Thomas, Leroy Lugg, Kirk McKenzie, Romaine Morris, Abhijau Mansingh, Patrick Harty, Akim Fraser, Marquino Mindley, Gordon Bryan, Ojay Shields; Andrew Richardson (Head Coach)
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force: Darren Bravo (captain), Amir Jangoo, Imran Khan, Jason Mohammed, Terrance Hinds, Jyd Goolie, Jeremy Solozano, Yannic Cariah, Bryan Charles, Vikash Mohan, Uthman Muhammad, Tion Webster, Khary Pierre; David Furlonge (Head Coach)
Volcanoes of the Windward Islands: Alick Athanaze (captain), Jerlani Robinson, Kavem Hodge, Keron Cottoy, Sunil Ambris, Justin Greaves, Tevyn Walcott, Kenneth Dember, Preston McSween, Teddy Bishop, Daurius Martin, Kimani Melius, Ryan John; Shirley Clarke (Head Coach)
Leeward Islands Hurricanes (provisional squad): Jahmar Hamilton (captain), Mikyle Louis, Kieran Powell, Colin Archibald, Terance Warde, Jeremiah Louis, Keacy Carty, Ross Powell, Kofi James, Damion Williams, Kelvin Pitman, Hayden Walsh Jr., Rahkeem Cornwall; Stuart Williams (Head Coach)
