BELFAST, Ireland, CMC – A top score of 82 from Leonardo Julien failed to inspire the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Academy, and hosts Ireland Emerging Players took a 1-0 lead in their three-match, One-day series when they cruised to a six-wicket win on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Trinidadian left-hander cracked nine fours and four sixes from 61 balls and was the cornerstone of the CWI Academy batting before they were bowled out for 224 in 43.1 overs after they were put in to bat in the 50 overs-a-side match at Woodvale Road.
Pacers Johann Layne and Joshua James then grabbed two wickets apiece for the visitors, but an unbeaten 66 off 85 balls from Morgan Topping led to solid top-order batting from the Irish, and they replied with 227 for four in 46.5 overs.
The second match of the series will be played on Wednesday at Bready. It was moved up one day because adverse weather threatened to affect the match, which was originally scheduled for Thursday.
West Indies reeling on 44 for two at the close of the first Power Play after opener Kadeem Alleyne and former West Indies Under-19 captain Ackeem Auguste fell for eight and a duck, respectively, off successive balls in the fifth over from pacer Matthew Foster.
Bishop came to the crease and made only ten but steadied the innings with Julien, whose 50 came from 44 balls, during a third-wicket stand of 58 before falling in the 16th over.
Jordan Johnson got 20, and he added 48 more for the fourth wicket with Julien, but they were both dismissed in successive overs, and CWI Academy was scrambling on 136 for five in the 21st over.
A knock of 41 from wicketkeeper-batsman Carlon Bowen Tuckett, son of former Leeward Islands and West Indies all-rounder turned umpire Carlton Tuckett, and 25 from their captain Nyeem Young enabled the CWI Academy to reach a respectable total while losing their last five wickets for 41 in 66 balls.
The CWI Academy met resistance from the start when openers Jake Egan scored 38, and Christopher De Freitas made 25, and they shared 60 for the first wicket.
Layne got them both caught behind in the span of 12 balls in his second spell before James similarly had Cade Carma Michael for 12, and the home team was 106 was three.
But the Caribbean side again met resistance when Topping shared 71 for the fourth wicket with Scott MacBeth – who made 42 – to get the chase back on track before sealing the deal with an unbroken stand of 47 with Kian Hilton, not out on 18.
The series, which also includes two four-day, first-class matches, is part of a reciprocal agreement between Cricket Ireland and CWI, which was signed after the Irish squad visited the Caribbean in November and December last year.
and then  Academy, and hosts Ireland Emerging Players){kind=link}