IN defense of the championship title they won last year in the St.Lucia National Cricket Association Under -19 Tournament, the Gros Islet Cricket Association has released a strong 19 man squad to participate in this year’s competition.
Today from 10.00 a.m. the 2014 champions will play arch rivals Central Castries in what is expected to be a cracker, while tomorrow they will take on Anse la Raye. Both matches will be played at the Gros Islet Playing Field.
St. Lucia and Windward Islands under -17 player Vernillius Gabriel will captain the Gros Islet team, which also includes St. Lucia and Windward Islands Under – 15 players Dane Edward, KimaniMelius and SemionGerson, national player Rene Montoute, national Under – 19 Wicketkeeper Allain Ashby, and national women’s cricketer Quina Joseph.
The reminder of the squad is: – Jonathan Khodra, Nyhymn Terrance, Millan David, VeronPreville, Christopher Albert, Lee Solomon, Kyle Adonis, Jamie Mathurin, Dudley Charles, Rumario Simmons, Janaii Thomas and Junior Doxilly.
One noticeable absentee from the squad is the 2014 “Junior cricketer of the year” Johnnel Eugene who Eugene will represent the Babonneau district in this year’s tournament.
According to reports reaching The VOICE early Friday, based on the number of players within the John Eugene Cricket Academy (JECA) and the Northern Cricket Cluster under Alton Crafton, the JECA applied to the SLNCA to play in this year’s tournament as a unit. Gros Islet Under – 19 A and Gros Islet B, the B team would have been the developmental team, but that was denied by the local governing body for cricket on the island as Gros Islet is one District and can only have one team in the tournament. With Babonneau being a district and not having a team in this year’s tournament, players from the JECA will now play as Babonneau Under – 19’s in this year’s tournament.