Gros Islet gained a spirited victory over the St Lucia Sports Academy (SLSA) when the Saint Lucia National Cricket Asso-ciation (SLNCA) Sandals Under-19 Cricket tournament bowled off, at the Gros Islet playing field, last Saturday.
The home team did well to outperform the defending champi-ons on the way to claiming their first win of the ever-popular annual youth cricket tournament
Intermittent weather conditions permitted one match to be played in the weekend’s opening fixtures, and the opposing teams made full use of the opportunity afforded them for a shot at the championship title.
After taking first knock, Gros Islet amassed a total of 215 all out in 43.3 overs. Main contributions came from Sanjay Francis 38, Jonathan Daniel 36 and captain Tarrique Edward 30. Cap-tain Theo Edward led the bowling attack for SLSA, to grab 4 wickets for 57 runs in his 10 over spell. He was assisted by Kev-in Gassie and Jervani Joseph who took 2 wickets each.
In response, SLSA were bowled out for 180 in 48.2 overs. Kens-ley Paul scored 46 in 131 balls, while Edward scored a patient 22 in 44 balls.
The chief wicket-taker for Gros Islet was Leo John with 3 for 19, with 5 maidens for 19 runs off his 10-over spell. He was as-sisted by Edward who bagged 3 for 41 in 8.2 overs; Leon Alex-ander 2 for 19 in 8 overs and Ryan Goodman 1 for 10 in 2 overs.
Result: Gros Islet won by 35 runs.
Due to adverse weather conditions and lots of overnight rain the outfields at Mon Repos, Mindoo Phillip Park and Piaye were unsuitable for play. However, Gros Islet was the only location spared the brunt of the rainy conditions, resulting in some excit-ing cricket at the venue.
The tournament continues this weekend with multiple matches at various venues around the island, and the fixture is as follows:
| Date | Teams | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 18 Feb | Choiseul vs South Castries | Piaye |
| Sat 18 Feb | Micoud vs Mon Repos | Wenn |
| Sat 18 Feb | Central Castries vs Babonneau | MPP |
| Sat 18 Feb | Gros Islet B vs Mabouya | Gros Islet |
| Sat 18 Feb | Soufriere vs Laborie | La Fargue |