MAGHERAMASON, Ireland – A boundary-studded, maiden List A hundred from Jewel Andrew failed to spur the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Academy, and hosts Emerging Ireland took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in their three-match, One-day series with a nail-biting one-wicket win off the penultimate ball on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old Antiguan wicketkeeper-batsman raised his profile with a run-a-ball 143 after the CWI Academy were put in to bat, and they set Emerging Ireland 279 to win the 50 overs-a-side match at the Bready Cricket Club.
West Indies Under-19 pacer Johann Layne was the pick of the Caribbean side’s bowlers taking three wickets – all in the final five overs – for 55 from his allotted 10 overs, and Emerging Ireland entered the final over with one wicket standing and 11 required to win.
But CWI Academy captain Nyeem Young let his side down when he conceded 15 from the final over to Matthew Humphreys, not out on 39, including a six off the third ball, and a six off the penultimate ball to concede victory to the Irish.
The Caribbean side had lost by six wickets on Tuesday at Eglinton in the first match of the series and they will be hoping to finish the series strong on Friday at Bready before the two teams play a pair of four-day, first-class matches, starting on June 18 at North Down and June 25 at Stormont.
CWI Academy were wobbling on 24 for two after Liam McCarthy bowled Ackeem Auguste for a second-ball duck in the second over, and fellow opener Leonardo Julien for 18 in the sixth over.
Andrews slammed 12 fours and seven sixes from 141 balls and shared three half-century stands along the way that were the rocks upon which the Caribbean side built their total of 278 for eight from their allocation of 50 overs.
Andrews added 73 for the third wicket with Teddy Bishop; 65 for the fifth wicket with fellow Leeward Islands Hurricanes prospect Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, son of former Leewards and West Indies all-rounder turned umpire Carl Tuckett; and 101 for the sixth wicket with Young.
The West Indies Under-19 gloveman reached his hundred from 114 balls and was the principal reason that the visitors added 123 during the second Power Play before he fell off the last ball of the penultimate over, trying to bring the innings to a flourishing close.
Bishop made 19 before he was lbw to leg-spinner Gavin Hoey in the 19th over, Tuckett made 20 before he was run out in the 36th over, and Young hit five sixes in 54 off 46 balls before falling with four balls remaining.
The CWI Academy bowlers kept Emerging Ireland to 37 for one in the first Power Play after Young bowled opener Jake Egan for 11 in the eighth over, and the hosts were 63 for two in the 15th over when Cade Carmichael was run out for 16.
The visitors met resistance when De Freitas, whose 84 off 108 balls was the top score, and Topping hit his second half-century of 53 off 73 balls, and they shared exactly 100 for the third wicket to stabilise the Emerging Ireland chase.
Young got De Freitas in the 34th over and left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop bowled Scott MacBeth in the 40th over, and Emerging Ireland required 94 in the final 10 overs, an equation that became more difficult when left-arm pacer Ramon Simmonds struck twice in three balls in the 45th over.
The match appeared to shift in favour of CWI Academy when Layne also struck twice in the 46th over, and again in the 48th over, and Emerging Ireland was teetering on 240 for nine, but the unthinkable happened when Simmonds pulled up lame and Andrew had to finish the over.
Andrew is more known for his wicketkeeping, rather than his bowling, and he conceded a four, a deuce, and a six to Humphreys off the three balls he bowled before the Emerging Ireland No. 10 ushered his side over the finish line.
Young ended with two for 67 from 9.5 overs, and Simmonds had two for 50 from 9.3 overs before he broke down.
The series is part of a reciprocal agreement between Cricket Ireland and CWI after the Emerging Ireland squad visited the Caribbean in November-December last year.
CMC
Scores:
CWI ACADEMY 278 for eight off 50 overs (Jewel Andrew 143, Nyeem Young 54, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 20; Liam McCarthy 3-80, Thomas Mayes 2-65).
EMERGING IRELAND 282 for nine off 49.5 overs (Christopher De Freitas 84, Morgan Topping 53, Matthew Humphreys 39 not out; Johann Layne 3-55, Ramon Simmonds 2-50, Nyeem Young 2-67).
Emerging Ireland won by one wicket.
CMC
