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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados -- The West Indies Cricket Board has praised the quality of play demonstrated on the field and the level of organisation off the field during the just-concluded WICB Under-19 tournament in Barbados.

Speaking on Thursday, after the conclusion of the month-long event, WICB president Dr Julian Hunte was full of praise for the young men who proudly represented their countries. He also offered congratulations to Barbados, who won the three-day tournament and Windward Islands, who won the 50-over tournament title.

“On behalf of the West Indies Cricket Board I want to salute the young cricketers from across the West Indies who participated in this year’s tournament. We also want to say well done to the visiting ICC Americas team which participated in the tournament for the first time and helped to enhance the quality of play,” Hunte said.

“Reports indicate this was one of the best and closest tournaments we have seen at this level for some time and the players who made it happen deserve our praise. Special congratulations to the teams from Barbados and the Windward Islands who came out on top. Both competitions were decided on the final day and this demonstrated the level of competitiveness among the teams.”

Barbados topped the three-day table with 45.5 points followed by Guyana on 38.0 points and Trinidad and Tobago on 37.0 points. Barbados captain Shai Hope won the Most Valuable Player award with three centuries.

In the 50-over tournament the Windwards secured the title with Windwards 35.0 points, just one ahead of Guyana 34.0 points. Jamaica placed third on 27.5 points. Jamaica captain and allrounder Oshane Walters won the Most Valuable Player award with 142 runs and seven wickets.

Hunte said: “What we saw on the cricket fields in Barbados over the last four weeks gives us reason to believe the future of cricket is the West Indies is bright. We were also happy with the deportment and level of discipline demonstrated by the players and those charged with the responsibility of looking after them.

“We saw an increase in the number of centuries being scored by the batsmen and we also saw the emergence of a number of young fast bowlers. Shai Hope of Barbados with his four centuries and Jeremy Solozano of Trinidad & Tobago, with two centuries stood out as the batsmen to watch.”

Hunte added: “In the bowling, spinners Oshane Walters of Jamaica and Gudakesh Motie of Guyana were excellent in the three-day competition. In the limited-overs matches, Guyana’s Romario Shepherd stepped up the pace to end with the most wickets and caught the eye.

“The WICB wants to urge the players to learn from the experiences they had over the last four weeks and seek to build and improve. We will continue to monitor and assist with the development of all these young players as we look to map the pathway from grassroots and junior level all the way to the international stage.

“We also want to thank the WICB staff members who helped with the organisation of the tournament and the staff of the Barbados Cricket Association, who provided a number of excellent sporting facilities and ensured that all the systems were in place for the smooth running of the tournament. We also to say ‘very well done’ the match officials, and all persons who worked behind the scenes to enhance what we saw on the field. In the end cricket was the overwhelming winner and we are pleased about that.”

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