BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC):

The prolific 17-year-old batsman, Kraigg Brathwaite, stroked a well measured hundred as West Indies Under-19s beat Canada U19s by 71 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method in their rain-aborted ICC 2010 Youth World Cup practice match yesterday.

Electing to bat in the Warner Park fixture that was reduced to 44 overs per side at the start because of rain, West Indies U19s gathered 231 for four off 44 overs.

Canada reached 74 for four off 24.4 overs when heavy rain terminated the game.

West Indies U19s got a solid start from openers Brathwaite and John Campbell (26), who staged a 69-run first wicket partnership.

Brathwaite was patient initially, pacing himself to his fifty off 80 balls in 102 minutes with two boundaries before unleashing a flurry of shots to compile his hundred. The young Barbadian faced 129 balls in his undefeated innings, cracking seven fours and two sixes.

Captain Andre Creary belted an attacking 50 off 55 balls with five fours and two sixes.

Left-arm spinner Hiral Patel led Canada's bowling with two for 24 and then top-scored with 23 in the visitors' aborted innings.

The Canadians struggled against the Windies U19 spinners Jomel Warrican and Patrick Harty. Left-arm spinner Warrican produced stifling figures of one for 11 off nine overs and leg-spinner Harty claimed one for 21 off nine overs.

The two teams are slated to face each other again tomorrow.

The young West Indies unit has assembled in St Kitts a month ahead of their opening ICC Youth World Cup match against Pakistan on January 15 in Group D in New Zealand.

West Indies tackle Bangladesh on January 17 and Papua New Guinea two days later in their remaining Group D matches in Napier.