CWI Regional 4-Day Championship
– Looknauth captures 4/69 on debut
By Michaelangelo Jacobus
The 2025 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 4-Day Championship bowled off in entertaining fashion at the Providence National Stadium, with defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles locking horns with Barbados Pride.
Despite an initial delay due to overnight and early morning showers, the match got underway, signalling the return of regional first-class cricket to Guyana and it was an eventful first day with Barbados posting a competitive first innings total of 346 all out thanks to half-centuries from Matthew Forde, Zacharie McCaskie and Jonathan Drakes. While it was mostly about the batters, the latest Harpy Eagles debutant Richie Looknauth impressed with the ball, claiming a 4-fer on his maiden first class outing.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Barbados faced immediate pressure as the Guyanese bowlers struck early. Nial Smith set the tone by trapping Leniko Boucher lbw for just 5, sending the visitors to 25/1 in the fifth over. Things got worse when skipper Raymon Reifer nicked behind off Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed for 7, leaving the Pride struggling at 35/2.
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received his cap from veteran left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (right).
Amidst the early jitters, opener McCaskie played a counter-attacking knock of 64 off 75 balls, peppered with seven boundaries and two sixes. He found a solid partner in Drakes, who played a classy innings of 70 from 120 deliveries, hitting 11 fours in the process. Their 88-run partnership steadied the innings, pushing Barbados past the 100-run mark. McCaskie was eventually dismissed at 123/3, falling to Looknauth, who impressed on debut.
However, the mini-collapse continued, as Barbados lost Kyle Wickham (14) at 137/4 and Kevin Richards (20) at 182/5 before Drakes himself fell at 191/6, just when he looked set for a bigger score.
Just when it seemed that the Harpy Eagles had the upper hand, Barbados’ lower order mounted a remarkable fightback. All-rounder Forde led the charge with a spectacular counterattacking 82 off 91 balls, hammering eight fours and three sixes in an innings of great authority. He found able support from Chaim Holder, who played a gritty 35 off 92 deliveries in a crucial 119-run seventh-wicket stand.
Despite losing three quick wickets at 312/9, a late flourish from Chemar Holder (29 off 30 balls) ensured Barbados reached an imposing 346 before Anthony Adams took the final wicket, dismissing Chemar at close quarters.
Guyana’s bowling effort was led by Looknauth, who turned heads with figures of 4/69 in his 17 overs. He was well supported by Ali-Mohamed (2/37), veteran spinner Veerasammy Permaul (2/87), and Anthony Adams (1/54), while Smith had his moments despite struggling with no-balls (10 in total).
With a challenging total set, Guyana Harpy Eagles now face the task of putting together a solid batting performance in response when they take to the crease today. With the pitch showing signs of assistance for both pacers and spinners, the first session on day two could be crucial in determining the direction of the match.