West Indies Women made a perfect start to their ODI series against Ireland Women with a comfortable nine-wicket victory in the opening match at Bready Cricket Club on July 10, 2026. Captain Hayley Matthews produced one of the finest innings of her career with an unbeaten 159 as West Indies chased down a target of 270 with 68 balls remaining to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
After winning the toss, West Indies chose to bowl first and put in a disciplined performance with the ball. Although Ireland posted a competitive total, the visitors kept taking wickets at regular intervals and prevented the hosts from building one big partnership.
Ireland lost opener Sarah Forbes early after she was run out by Deandra Dottin for 11. Captain Gaby Lewis then played positively, scoring 39 from 48 balls with six boundaries before Hayley Matthews dismissed her.
The highlight of Ireland’s innings came from wicketkeeper-batter Amy Hunter, who played a superb knock of 96 from 90 deliveries. Hunter looked in complete control for most of her innings, hitting 10 fours and one six while keeping the scoreboard moving. She came close to a well-deserved century but was bowled by Afy Fletcher just four runs short of the milestone.
Orla Prendergast also made an important contribution with 30 from 33 balls, while Rebecca Stokell added 20. Later in the innings, Louise Little gave Ireland a useful finish with 27 from 29 deliveries, including one four and two sixes. Cara Murray chipped in with 14 before Ireland were bowled out for 269 in 49 overs.
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews impressed with the ball as well, finishing with figures of 3/52 from her 10 overs. Leg-spinner Afy Fletcher was the standout bowler, taking 4/49 and removing several important middle and lower-order batters. Jannillea Glasgow and Karishma Ramharack claimed one wicket each, while the fielding unit also produced a sharp run-out.
Chasing 270, West Indies made the difficult target look easy thanks to a magnificent opening partnership between Hayley Matthews and Realeanna Grimmond.
The pair dominated the Ireland bowling attack from the beginning and added an outstanding 258 runs for the first wicket. Their partnership completely took the game away from the hosts.
Matthews played a captain’s innings, remaining unbeaten on 159 from 123 balls. She struck 24 fours and two sixes while scoring at a strike rate of 129.26. The right-hander reached her fifty in only 42 balls, completed her century from 90 deliveries and later brought up 150 from just 117 balls. It was a brilliant display of controlled yet aggressive batting, as she found gaps all around the ground and never allowed Ireland’s bowlers to settle.
At the other end, Realeanna Grimmond gave Matthews excellent support with a superb 91 from 107 balls. She played with great patience and timing, hitting 11 boundaries during her innings. Grimmond looked set for a century before she was caught behind by Amy Hunter off Louise Little after falling just nine runs short.
After Grimmond’s dismissal, experienced batter Stafanie Taylor came to the crease and remained unbeaten on two as West Indies completed the chase at 270/1 in only 38.4 overs.
Ireland’s bowlers found it difficult to create chances throughout the chase. Louise Little picked up the only wicket, while the rest of the attack struggled to stop the free-flowing West Indies batters despite using six different bowlers.
Hayley Matthews’ outstanding all-round performance, which included three wickets with the ball and an unbeaten 159 with the bat, made her the clear Player of the Match. West Indies will now head into the second ODI full of confidence after an excellent performance in both departments, while Ireland will look to improve and level the series in the next game.
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