Looknauth 2nd innings 6-fer steals show on final day, as Eagles cruise to come-from-behind win by innings and 21 runs

May 14, 2026 Sports

2026/27 West Indies 4-Day Championship…GHE vs. WIA Day 4

By Clifton Ross

Kaieteur Sports – Arguably one of the more intense, mountainous come-from-behind wins in contemporary Regional 4-Day cricket history, was etched in the books after the Guyana Harpy Eagles ran roughshod over the West Indies Academy (WIA), who imploded during their second innings only to lose by an entire innings and 21 runs thanks to some brilliance from spinner Richie Looknauth.

Guyana completed one of the biggest chases/wins in 4-Day cricket, after seemingly staring at their first possible loss when the highly-talented WIA lads would get proceedings underway with an impressive 1st innings score of 485 all out.

Looknauth 2nd innings 6-fer steals show on final day, as Eagles cruise to come-from-behind win by innings and 21 runs

All-rounder Richie Looknauth added 6 last days wickets to go along with his maiden half-century as he completed a phenomenal match.

Skipper Rivaldo Clarke who dropped a classy 180, alongside all-rounder Amari Goodridge who scored 123 during their 280-run partnership were the backbone of the innings, which put the champs under some pressure as they required almost 500 runs in order to keep themselves in the match before having to put in tremendous work in order for their bowlers to have something to play around with in the second innings.

Three 1st innings wickets apiece from, left-arm spinners Gudakesh Motie and Veerasammy Permaul, backed by a pair of wickets from seamer Thaddeus Lovell and Nial Smith, signalled possible forthcoming magic from the slower bowlers by the end of the game.

Putting their shoulders to the wheel, the Eagles would respond like the champions they are, posting a record 1st innings 663 all out after opener Matthew Nandu etched his name into the 1st class batting record books, with a majestic 237; his maiden score of 200 runs or more at this level.

West Indies Under-19 all-rounder Johnny Van Lange also made a huge debut impression, scoring a breezy 133 his first at this level too, as the duo piled on a 255-run partnership to not only help the Eagles wipe the huge deficit, but to add a significant chunk of runs to the board; which in the end proved too much for the WIA boys.

Centurion Johnathan Van Lange.

WIA with the tables turned, now having to clear more than 100 runs off before having to officially put some runs on the board and look for a draw, succumbed to the guile of Looknauth; who turned out to be the final day hero.

Double centurion Matthew Nandu.

After scoring a vital 77, his maiden fifty in 4-Day cricket, which helped stretch the lead during a nice partnership with Motie (48); the off-spinner would then take full advantage of the 4 day old surface, applying himself with the right length as he would go onto make light work of the WIA batting order; who looked like a completely different team as compared to their first innings.

Looknauth’s 2nd innings returns of 6-36 from just 12 overs triggered a WIA collapse of 157 all out in 42 overs leaving almost the entire afternoon session intact.

Lovell bagged 2-56 to end the match with 4 scalps, while Motie added 2 more wickets for just 27 runs to his collection, finishing the match with 5 wickets in total.

Only Guyanese Mavendra Dindyal (41), Giovonte Depeiza (34), Mebki Joseph (28), Clarke (24) and Goodridge (22) got out of the blocks for the Academy, who lost the match with an entire innings remaining.

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4-Day Championship, GHE vs. WIA, Guyana Harpy Eagles, West Indies

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