Latest update June 25th, 2026 12:41 AM
Classy tons from Clarke, Goodridge steamroll Eagles on opening day
2026/27 West Indies 4-Day Championship…
By Clifton Ross
(Kaieteur Sports) – Unbeaten opening day hundreds from Rivaldo Clarke and Omari Goodridge stunned the Guyana Harpy Eagles who were completely taken out of their element yesterday after the West Indies Academy (WIA) owned the entirety of Day 1 at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
Amari Goodridge
Looking more like the opponents Guyana should have faced during their opening rounds, the Windies Academy lads instead of being used as a possible pre-finals sacrifice for Guyana, pulled a complete 360 to end proceedings in full control.
After winning the toss, WIA put on a majestic first innings exhibition to finish Day 1 on a mammoth 423-6 after 91 overs thanks to the twin tons.
The 23 year-old skipper Clarke, who made a huge impression with his maiden 1st class ton, a breezy 165* off 213 balls (20×4 5×6), sprung the first surprise after Guyana seemed to be in control when they left the Academy boys in shambles on 169-6; during one stage of the match.
All-rounder Goodridge, who took immense pressure off Clarke during their record 7th wicket 200-plus run unbeaten partnership, played extremely well for his maiden 109* (9×4 3×6), his first ton at the 1st class level.
Opener Mebki Joseph was typically aggressive from the get-go, smacking 7 fours and 3 sixes as he motored to 60 off 53 with 7 fours and three maximums to help and keep his side stable.
Guyanese middle-order batsman Mavendra Dindyal (45) was also aggressive, stroking 7 fours and a six as he missed a certain half-century.
Eagles left-arm spin veteran Veerasammy Permaul (3-114) and off-spinning all-rounder Richie Looknauth (3-86), had brilliant opening spells to lead a slightly tweaked bowling unit before their magic ended.
Much like the pacers who went wicket-less, the two spinners found little answers for the likes of Clarke and Goodridge, who carried their bats to the close of play.
After a shaky start and a brief repair job by Joseph and Dindyal, WIA after settling in, built a lead run-by-run and in the process managed to stretch the total, which had already gone past the 300-mark by the time Tea came and went.
Goodridge maintained his exceptional supporting cast role to help raise the team’s 7th wicket 150-run partnership as the Eagles bowling attack struggled despite the early breakthroughs.
Both Academy batsmen negated the potency of the Eagles formidable bowling weapons to each record personal and team milestones, as their current unbroken partnership could arguably be in the top 3 best 7th wicket stands in regional 4-Day cricket.
The lack of wickets on Guyana’s essentially left the door wide open for Goodridge, who followed his partner by also bringing up his triple-digit score as WIA’s total ballooned well past the 400-run tally, leaving both centurions unbeaten with another full day left to possibly do additional damage.
Meanwhile, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force were 298-7 at the close play batting first against Barbados Pride in their battle to see who will play the Eagles for their title in this season’s finale.
Action continues today.
Rivaldo Clarke
Veerasammy Permaul
Riche Looknauth (Newsroom)
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