By Charwayne Walker
Congratulations to young Jordan Johnson for scoring consecutive centuries against young Sri Lanka in the recent youth test series in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Johnson is the first West Indies Under 19 batsman to score consecutive centuries in a youth test series since 1974 when the West Indies played their inaugural youth test match against England in the United Kingdom.
Today, Stabroek News salutes the Caribbean youths who had the honor of scoring a century at the youth test level.
First to achieve this feat was the Dominican Lockhart Sebastien.
Playing in the West Indies inaugural youth test match in the United Kingdom against young England, Sebastien scored 134. The first century by a West Indies player at the youth test level.
Guyanese Tyrone Etwaroo emulated Sebastien’s feat with 134 at Worcester against young England while Barbadian Henderson Roach scored 184 in the same match in 1978.
Vincentian Linton Lewis added his name to the list with 149 versus young England at Arundel, England in 1978 while another Barbadian, George Reifer scored 139 versus young England at Mindoo Phillip Park, St. Lucia in 1980 while Trinidadian, Augustine `Gus’ Logie scored 163 in the same match.
Jamaican James `Jimmy’ Adams scored 105 versus young England at Sabina Park 1985 while his countryman, Nehemiah Perry scored 103 not out versus young Australia at Sydney, 1988.
Guyanese Paul Persaud scored 102 not out versus young Australia at Sabina Park in 1990 while Chanderpaul scored 203 not out at Nottingham versus young England in 1993.
Kittian Junie Mitchum scored 105 at Hove against young England in 1993 and Trinidadian, Lincoln Roberts, scored 114 against young England at GCC Bourda in February 1995.
Guyanese Ramnaresh Sarwan scored 102 versus young Pakistan at the Kensington Oval in 1996 and Sarwan’s countrymen Azeemul Hanif and Hemnarine Chattergoon scored even hundreds in the second innings. Grenadian. Devon Smith scored 169 versus young England in Nottingham in 2001 and Nevisian, Tonito Wellet, scored 103 versus Young England at Chester-le-Street, Leicestershire, in 2001.
Current West Indies test captain, Barbadian Kraigg Braithwaite, scored 168 not out versus young Australia in Dubai in 2011 while another Barbadian, Anthony Alleyne , scored 106 versus young Australia in Dubai also. The latest young batting sensation to achieve the feat is Jordan Johnson who scored 149 versus young Sri Lanka at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka on September 8, in the opening test match.
He then returned in the second test on September 14, to score 157 not out at the same venue.
