ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Both the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and Barbados Pride have put themselves in dominant positions against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Jamaica Scorpions, respectively, at the end of play of Sunday’s opening day of the West Indies Championship.
Kevin Wickham scored the first century of the 2026 West Indies Championship.Spinners Bryan Charles and Khary Pierre took three wickets apiece to help skittle out the Hurricanes for 138. T&T then made a strong reply to close in on first innings points.
Kevin Wickham had the honour of registering the first century of the tournament to propel the Pride to a competitive total against the home side.
Meanwhile, the Windward Islands Volcanoes and defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles shared opening day honours.
At Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua: Offspinner Bryan Charles and left-arm spinner Khary Pierre ripped through the Leeward Islands Hurricanes’ lower order to rout them for a paltry 138 and put the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in total command.
Openers Evin Lewis and Cephas Cooper then batted cautiously to carry their side to 62 without loss at the end of play, as T&T ended the day trailing by just 76 runs.
T&T’s fast bowling trio of Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip and Terrance Hinds were responsible for the early damage to the Hurricanes’ innings after they won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Phillip struck in the day’s second over by having Mikyle Louis caught for a duck, before Hinds accounted for the wicket of Kadeem Henry for 11.
Seales then bowled the dangerous Jewel Andrew for 27 and Pierre rattled the stumps of skipper Justin Greaves for seven, to reduce the Hurricanes to 59 for four.
Seales then returned to trap Keacy Carty lbw for 18 and Pierre grabbed his second wicket by dismissing Jeremiah Louis for a duck, to see them fall into further despair at 87 for six.
It took a fighting knock of 44 from Jahmar Hamilton to get them up to their eventual score. Hamilton joined forces with Rahkeem Cornwall to add 48 runs for the seventh wicket.
But once the latter was dismissed for a stubborn 15 off 67 balls, the Hurricanes lost their last four wickets for a mere three runs.
Charles ended with 3-9, Pierre took 3-34, while Seales grabbed 2-31.
In response, Lewis scored an unbeaten 28 off 78 balls and Cooper ended on 22 not out off 82 balls, to give Jamaica a solid start to their innings.
At Chedwin Park in Jamaica: Kevin Wickham scored an impressive boundary-studded century – the first of this year’s competition – to guide Barbados Pride to a sizeable 348 in 81.4 overs in their first innings after choosing to bat against Jamaica Scorpions.
Wickham blasted 153 off 193 balls, with 12 sixes and six fours and led a successful fightback by the visitors who at one stage were struggling on 23 for three.
Fast bowler Marquino Mindley gave the home side a dream start when he bowled captain Kraigg Brathwaite for a duck and Jonathan Drakes for 10, while Ojay Shields trapped Shayne Moseley lbw for six to leave the Pride in disarray.
However, Wickham and Kyle Mayers rescued the innings during a 117-run partnership for the fourth wicket that brought the match back to level terms.
Offspinner Peat Salmon and Mindley put Jamaica back in the ascendancy, with the former bowling Mayers after he scored 64 off 89 balls, and the latter dismissing Leniko Boucher for a duck to leave the Pride in trouble at 141 for five.
But once again, Wickham found a worthwhile partner, this time in Shamar Springer, with their 130-run partnership totally transforming the match.
Wickham brought up his fourth first-class century off 140 balls by scampering a quick single to mid-off, off the bowling of Salmon. Once home safely, he took off his helmet and raised his bat in jubilation, with Springer coming down the pitch to congratulate him with a hug.
Mindley was back in the thick of things to give his side a much-needed breakthrough, bowling Springer for 40 off 69 balls, to leave the score 271 for six.
Wickham was also ably supported by the lower order, with Joshua Bishop scoring 37 off 50 balls, Johann Layne contributing an unbeaten 15, while Jomel Warrican made nine.
It allowed the Pride’s last four wickets to add a valuable 77 runs, with Wickham being the seventh batsman to be dismissed shortly after crossing the 150-mark.
Mindley finished with figures of 4-32, while Salmon claimed 4-104.
The Scorpions made a positive start in their response, finishing the day on 17 without loss, still trailing by 331 runs going into Monday’s second day.
At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua: Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie grabbed six wickets for defending champs Guyana Harpy Eagles, who are locked in an even contest with the Windward Islands Volcanoes.
Led by a knock of 95 from Ackeem Auguste and a heroic effort by their lower order, the Volcanoes were dismissed for a competitive 286 in 86.1 overs after being sent in to bat.
Having to navigate a solitary over before the end of play, the Harpy Eagles did so without much alarm to close on two without loss.
The Volcanoes would have been eyeing a bigger total, though, given their promising start.
Pacer Keemo Paul struck early by dismissing Stephan Pascal with just seven runs on the board, but Kavem Hodge joined Auguste at the crease to solidify the innings in a 79-run partnership.
The Volcanoes looked to be coasting at 86 for one, but medium pacer Nial Smith had Hodge caught for 31 and Paul dismissed captain Alick Athanaze for one, to see them slip to 87 for three.
Auguste and Sunil Ambris stemmed the flow of wickets during a 61-run stand for the fourth wicket that steadied the ship and carried them to a relatively healthy score of 148 for three.
But the loss of four wickets for 55 runs, including that of Auguste, who fell agonisingly short of a century after facing 117 runs and striking 12 fours, brought the Harpy Eagles back into the match.
Motie was solely responsible for the collapse, snaring the wickets of Ambris for 30, Auguste, Shadrack Descarte for 15 and Noelle Leo for a duck.
They would have been hoping to restrict their opponents to under 250 after reducing them to 203 for seven, but knocks of 42 from Ryan John, 35 from Darron Nedd and 18 from Kenneth Dember ensured the Volcanoes got up to a decent target.
Motie ended with the impressive figures of 6-73, while Paul took 2-27.
