Third Straight West Indies Championship Title for Guyana
The Guyana Harpy Eagles have once again stamped their authority on regional cricket, sealing their dominance with a third consecutive West Indies Championship title after their final-round encounter with the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force ended in a draw at the Queen’s Park Oval on Saturday.
Heading into the final day, the Harpy Eagles were firmly in the driver’s seat, while the Red Force required nothing short of a miracle to upset the reigning champions. Resuming on 101 for two and still trailing by 122 runs, Trinidad and Tobago mounted a spirited resistance led by veteran Jason Mohammed and skipper Joshua Da Silva.
Mohammed crafted his 17th first-class century, a composed 125 off 186 deliveries, while Da Silva played a counter-attacking knock of 77 from just 79 balls. Their efforts helped propel the Red Force to 370 for nine before the declaration. Left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4 for 105, supported by the experienced Veerasammy Permaul, who claimed 3 for 138.
Chasing a modest target of 147, Guyana approached the task cautiously. Openers Raymond Perez (26* not out) and Matthew Nandu saw off the new ball threat, guiding their team to 33 without loss when both sides shook hands and settled for the draw.
The result was enough to crown the Harpy Eagles champions once more, finishing the campaign with 126.6 points from four wins in seven matches. They also pocketed a grand prize of USD $250,000 for their efforts.
Barbados Pride surged into second place with 112 points after a narrow three-wicket win over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in St. Kitts, while the Red Force, who started the final day in second, slipped to third with 111 points. The rest of the standings saw the Hurricanes finish fourth (94.6), followed by the Jamaica Scorpions (86.4), West Indies Academy (62), Combined Campuses and Colleges (58.4), and Windward Islands Volcanoes (55).
Cricket West Indies (CWI) President, Dr. Kishore Shallow, praised the Harpy Eagles for their consistency and class throughout the season.
“On behalf of Cricket West Indies, I offer sincere congratulations to the Guyana Harpy Eagles on their remarkable achievement,” said Dr. Shallow. “Winning back-to-back titles is no small feat, and their undefeated run this season speaks volumes about the leadership of captain Tevin Imlach and the unity within the squad.”
Dr. Shallow also acknowledged the promising signs emerging from across the tournament.
“We’re greatly encouraged by the overall standard of play this season,” he added. “From the rise of new talent to the improved performance of our fast bowlers and batters, we’re seeing progress that aligns with our long-term vision for West Indies cricket, especially in the red-ball format.”
