The 2026 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Under-19 50-Over Championship has entered its early competitive phase, with defending champions Barbados cementing their dominance at the top of the rankings after three consecutive unbeaten matches. The Caribbean side pulled further ahead of their rivals following a dominant 63-run win over Guyana, pushing their total points to 22 and stretching their gap over the second-placed team from 2.6 points to a comfortable 6.2-point advantage.
While Barbados continues to set the pace in the youth tournament, the biggest shakeup of the third round came in the lower top ranks, as the Leeward Islands delivered a standout performance to climb the table. A commanding 144-run victory over the Windward Islands propelled the side from third to second place, with a total of 15.8 points. Jamaica also made significant upward progress, after securing a win against Trinidad and Tobago, which pushed them into third position on 12.6 points. Their higher net run rate proved the deciding factor, despite Trinidad and Tobago finishing the round with the same points total, dropping the pre-round second-placed side to fourth.
At the lower end of the table, the Windward Islands and Guyana remain winless after three matches, holding fifth and sixth place on 3.8 and 3.6 points respectively, as both sides continue to chase their first victory of the tournament.
Off the team rankings, individual contests for top batting and bowling honors are already intensifying as players compete for personal accolades alongside team success. Barbados captain and opening batter Gadson Bowens retains his position as the tournament’s leading run-scorer, with Leeward Islands opener Tanez Francis staying locked in second place on the run aggregates table. Barbados batter Jordan Graham joined the top three after a match-defining innings against Guyana: his calm, composed 78 runs off 101 deliveries not only powered his side to victory but also pushed him to third in the overall run-scoring rankings.
In the race for the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, Daniel Holder, Trinidad and Tobago’s left-arm fast bowler, remains out in front with a total of nine wickets after three rounds. Jamaica medium pacer Jahdae Moore produced a spectacular bowling performance against Trinidad and Tobago, taking three wickets for just ten runs, which lifted his tournament tally to eight wickets. That haul matches that of Leeward Islands seamer Matthew Miller, leaving the two players tied for second place in the wicket-taking rankings.
A key factor shaping the current standings is the championship’s bonus points system, which has already had a major impact on how teams rank after three rounds. Barbados has accumulated 10 bonus points to go alongside its three outright match wins, contributing heavily to its wide lead at the top. For the Leeward Islands, their climb to second place has also been boosted by the bonus point system, with 7.8 additional points helping the side overtake higher-ranked opponents ahead of the next rounds of play.
Final Updated Standings After Round Three:
1. Barbados – 22 points
2. Leeward Islands – 15.8 points
3. Jamaica – 12.6 points
4. Trinidad and Tobago – 12.6 points
5. Windward Islands – 3.8 points
6. Guyana – 3.6 points