Defending champions Gros Islet 1 and Central Castries secured semifinal spots in the 2021 Sandals Under-19 Cricket Cup this past weekend, a tournament organized by the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association (SLNCA).
Gros Islet captain, Zidane Arthur secured his team’s semifinal spot with a 153-run win over Mabouya Valley last Saturday at the Gros Islet playing field.
Batting first, Gros Islet1 scored 254 all out in 37.5 overs with Zidane Arthur top scoring with a well-played 71 which included 7 fours and 3 sixes.
Opening batsman Khan Elcock continued his good run-on form scoring 47 while his opening partner Jehan Boodha scored 25. Lee John who came in at No. 8 made 25 and No. 7 Denzel Albert 16.
Bowling for Mabouya Valley, Chad Martial picked up 3 for 33 in 8 overs, Zante Albertie 2 for 0 in 1 over, Amari Agdoma 2 for 26 in 2.5 overs and 1 wicket to Kurlan Serverin.
Requiring 255 for victory at a run rate of 5.1 per over, Mabouya Valley was dismissed for 101 in 23 overs with Amari Agdoma and Brent Edward making 21 each and Zante Albertie with 13.
Bowling for Gros Islet, Bolton Sayers who had a dismal performance against Mon Repos in the final preliminary game on Thursday picked up 4 for 26 in 8 overs, West Indies hopeful for the ICC World Cup in the Caribbean next year Udel Preville, took 3 for 22 in 7 overs and Shahid Roberts 2 for 1 in one over.
Head Coach for the Gros Islet 1 team Alton Crafton following the encounter said, “The quarterfinal match versus Mabouya Valley was a good one. The seam bowlers for Mabouya Valley bowled impressively making use of good bowling conditions in Gros Islet.”
“Our batting display was slightly below par having not batted out our allocation of overs. Our bowlers continue to hold their own, good clinical victory.’’ He noted.
Head Coach for Mabouya Valley team, Clivus Jules said, “It was a tough loss. We have struggled through this season. The guys were not able to acquire the mental toughness to stick in. However, there were lots of positive to take away from the tournament, some individuals showed glimpse of brilliance but we’re not consistent. All in all, there were lots of good from the Mabouya Valley’s campaign in this year’s Sandals Under-19 Cup.”
At the Mindoo Phillip Park (MPP), Central Castries outplayed rivals South Castries to win by 9 wickets in a rain interrupted matchup, the first team to secure a semifinal berth.
Under overcast skies and windy conditions, South Castries scored 40 all out in 18.2 overs, the lowest score so far in this year’s tournament.
No batsman reached double figures, as Extras was the main contributor with 22 which included 19 wides and 3 no balls.
Bowling for Central Castries, fast bowler Jaayxan Justin picked up a career best 5 for 24 in 6 overs to claim Man of the Match. West indies hopeful for the ICC Under 19 World Cup in the Caribbean next year, Mc Kenny Clarke took 2 for 4 in 6 overs, Jaden Elibox 2 for 0 in 1.2 overs and Keygan Arnold 1 for 7 in 3 overs.
Needing a modest 41 for victory, Central Castries reached their target for the loss of 1 wicket in 3.2 overs after 17 minutes of batting with Keril Victor not out 27 from 10 deliveries which included 3 fours and 2 sixes, and Ephron Charles not out 8. The batsman out, opener Desney Gidharry, lbw Aaron Joseph without scoring.
Bowling for South Castries, captain Aaron Joseph picked up the lone wicket to fall for 15 runs in 2 overs.
Central Castries Team Manager, Tyrone Harris following the encounter said, “I am very pleased with our team’s performance against South Castries and against all our previous opponents. The team has been doing well in terms of our bowling outings. Just needs to be a bit tighter with our bowling lines to lessen on the extras.”
In terms of the batting, Harris said, “More consistency and patience is required in our batting performances. We hope to keep improving as we move deeper into the tournament.”
The two other semifinal matches that were scheduled for last Saturday were called off due to rain. Babonneau was schedule to play Mon Repos at the Wenn playing and the Saint Lucia Sports Academy against Choiseul at Piaye.
Attempts to play the matches the following day at the Gros Islet playing field and the Mindoo Phillip Park was again called off by the SLNCA as the rain continued.
Rain also affected the Plate Division, Vieux Fort North versus Micoud at the Phillip Marcellin Grounds and Gros Islet ll against Denney.
Weather permitting this weekend will see the conclusion of the quarterfinal round.
